Looking at this composite image of a satellite view and pressure isobars you can clearly see the lobe of the Central Valley thermal low that remains over the coast north of the Bay Area. Also, notice how this warmer dryer air from the Central Valley has evaporated the marine layer clouds. This lobe of low…
Now at 11:30 AM: In several decades of forecasting San Francisco winds I have never seen huge 75 mile wide eddy west of the Golden Gate PLUS a marine surge that extends from Southern California waters to the Golden Gate PLUS, paradoxically, a fast retreating marine layer despite all the Southerly flow. So it is…
For most of this summer, we have had a North Pacific High that has 2 standard deviations from the norm in terms of size and position. That is geek talk meaning the North Pacific High’s surface NW ocean winds have been weirdly stronger than normal. This has made forecasting much more complicated and impacted many…
Julian: Is there any way to predict fog formation for the Bodega/Dillon area? When there is no wind I have to get my foil surfing on, but often times it is a complete whiteout and can’t even see the break or the beach once I get out. It’s often clear in the morning and then…
Today the Bay Area saw a combo of dense marine layer clouds streaming through the Golden Gate while far aloft monsoonal type clouds and moisture cruised over much of California and the Pacific Northwest. This was an atypical event that this NWS discussion captures nicely. “NWS SFO Area Forecast Discussion: As of 11:05am Wednesday… for…
The North Pacific High is being battered by the continued La Niña pattern with 3 rainy storms in the Gulf of Alaska keeping atypically strong NW out at 50 miles west of the Golden Gate. However, the NPH has pushed a ridge of high pressure into the Pacific Northwest causing Central Valley thermal low to…
Hey Mike, Quick question. Why is it that Leo and Cabrillo are always the windiest locations? I get the pressure gradient and that Cabrillo is out on the peninsula and Leo is outside the LA bay. But Leo is generally windier than relatively similar sites like Zuma. Also Cabrillo is generally windier than the rest…
When forecasting for more that a dozen sites and almost 200 wind/direction/time slots you are always going to have some major blown forecasts. But today Pt. Isabel and Berkeley forecasts were especially bad. Worse, not a single model forecast the normal WSW winds to turn almost SSE, accelerate and mostly bypass Pt. Isabel and Berkeley….
Hi Gang, Last night and dawn today, Sun, Aug 7, 2022, found Sherman Island ripping with W winds 25g32 range while the rest of the Bay Area was seeing sub-teen winds. This brings up a bunch of questions: Why are the Sherman Island winds and nearby sites so much stronger than the rest of the…
Central California coast: Once again a combo of an eddy and a low pressure off San Francisco diverts most of the North Pacific High’s surface NW winds today away from the Central California coast. Lopez sees some winds but Isabella is probably too west to fill in to the lake. Southern California: The eddy and…