Author: Mike Godsey

West Coast Wind Blog: Atmospheric gravity waves near Waddell cause the surface NW winds to rise and fall in rhythm.

We are all used to seeing random gusts and lulls in the kite and windsurf wind graphs. This gives the wind graph a a jagged appearance. On good days the jags are small on bads days they are huge This first image shows a typical random wind pattern at Waddell on Thursday, July 31. But…

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West Coast Wind Blog: Cut Off Low blocks NW ocean winds while enhancing WSW flow inside Bay.

Wind Recipe:1- The Cut-Off Low ≈ 18,000 feet continues to block most of the NW ocean winds while enhancing:a. Coastal eddies. b. WSW ocean winds. c. Strong ≈ 1000 feet aloft WSW turbocharges surface wind at Sherman/TI/N. Tower. d. broken atypical marine layer. d. Cool weather. 2- The WSW ocean winds accelerate through gaps in…

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West Coast Wind Blog: Anomalous Eddy lingers Off San Francisco.

For nearly two weeks, a persistent counter-clockwise eddy off the coast of San Francisco has been the dominant meteorological feature, overriding the typical summer wind patterns of NW ocean winds and funneling strong southwesterly winds through the Golden Gate and into much of the San Francisco Bay. This unusual and prolonged event is the result…

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West Coast Wind Blog: Satellite image animation confirms pressure gradient distribution at 10 AM

Wind Recipe: Note: Good chance late afternoon fog shuts down Crissy. 1- Weak elongated counter-clockwise eddy and its southerly coast winds expanded overnight less than expected, with southerly coast winds from Pismo to near Pt. Area. 2- The eddy spins all day as it gains southerly support from a low-pressure that extends up to ≈…

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