So far this season we have had an atypical weather pattern. May and June are always the peak time for marine cloud formation. Hence the terms May Grey and June Gloom but this year we have added a prevailing upper-level Low and that caused some changes in the daily marine cloud pattern. Typically we start…
For Southern California, a clear signal that fall has arrived is that strong offshore wind events develop, also known as Santa Ana winds. These strong Northeast /East winds frequently fuel fire activity and signals the end to sea breeze activity at the beaches…..or does it. Sometimes the offshore winds are pulled back onshore and pockets…
The National Hurricane Center is tracking a large hurricane that has developed off the West Coast of Mexico. Hurricane Kay now has winds over 100 mph. It is forecast to move northward and new watches have been issued that extend the potential for Tropical Storm force winds to reach the Southern California border. This is…
As we approach the Labor Day holiday the concern for Southern California is soaring temperatures. The heat has begun to build over the Western United States as an upper-level ridge of High pressure pushes up toward Canada. I have typed those words many times in my career. While this weekend’s heat will bring critical problems…
Marine clouds are the nemesis for those on the West Coast looking for winds. A dense bank of marine clouds can move in quickly, kill winds and leave a wind/kite surfer stranded. We had a subscriber ask whether we could provide more detailed forecasts of where and when these cloud banks would form. Unfortunately, these…
A subscriber wrote to ask us about strong winds that had developed after midnight at Port Hueneme in Ventura, California. Since these winds occurred after midnight his thought was that these might be katabatic winds. Katabatic winds develop as air on a hilltop cools after sunset causing it to become more dense. Then gravity takes…
Last week I had to make a phone call to my insurance agent to tell them that my car had been damaged by a wind storm. For most that would not be embarrassing but when you make your living forecasting winds and teach University Courses titled, “Natural Hazards and Disasters”, it might be hard to…
Many in Southern California are spending their Thanksgiving Holiday with no electrical power thanks to a powerful offshore wind event. That means no ability to cool refrigerators, that are stocked to capacity, or ovens to cook turkeys. The power is not out because winds have taken out power lines but instead, they have been…
Smoke from California Wildfires has not stayed in California but is now impacting much of the West. It has now spread into the Rockies lowering visibilities more than a thousand miles away from the source. The above photograph was taken looking into the Salt Lake City valley early on Friday morning. The visible satellite view…
