by Mike Godsey, mike@iwindsurf.com Yesterday, Wed. August 14, 2019 I really blew the Isla Vista to Ledbetter forecast and Ventura went over the mid-teens forecast. True, I did warn of “much stronger winds than forecast if the Gaviota eddy died” But still… it was a crappy forecast. This an animated blog about what happened that…
by Mike Godsey, mike@iwindsurf.com As you all know the location, thickness and movement of the marine layer clouds are critical in making the winds at every site in the San Francisco Bay Area. The same is true in forecasting. The difference is that we have to try to forecast where the clouds will be many…
by Mike Godsey, mike@iwindsurf.com Forecasting for Pismo winds in the summer is very tricky and we are slowly learning the complexities of this area. Here are some of our baby steps up the Pismo forecasting learning curve. The marine layer clouds are often way inland in the morning in the Pismo area. But despite the clouds…
by Mike Godsey, mike@iwindsurf.com On this day the WF-WRF barely showed a hint of an eddy. The NAM surface had a better hint. But, as I have noticed again and again for larger elongated eddies, the 950 & 975 NAM do a very good job forecasting existence of an eddy and its duration. Also notice…
by Mike Godsey, iwindsurf.com/ikitesurf.com, mikeATwindsurf.com I took the helicopter photo in my banner above on a day when it was nearly calm at Pt. Diablo just outside the Golden Gate’s north tower. But the strong NW aloft were buffeting the copter and there were strong surface winds inside the Golden Gate off Crissy. This morning…
by Mike Godsey, mikeATiwindsurf.com In Part 1 of this blog, Blame in on the kid I wrote about how unusual this season has been due in part to an El Nino pattern. And for the west coast, El Nino means an unusually southerly storm track. That blog left off talking about an 1000 mile…
by Mike Godsey, mikeATiwindsurf.com Here is part 2 of this blog. Did you notice how much weaker the Gorge winds were yesterday July 8, 2019? And you have also probably noticed that this season has mostly had cooler air and water temperatures for this time of year. And there have been more winds out…
by Mike Godsey, mikeATiwindsurf.com We have added a Public Domain sensor located on the John Day River Bridge east of Rufus. It will read LOW compared to the actual wind at Rufus but by looking at the wind at The Wall sensor and this sensor you will have a good idea of how windy it…
by Matt Sounders & Mike Godsey You may have noticed that the weather has gone a bit bonkers this year for much of the west coast. And, no, you’re not alone in having this impression since the data backs up your impression. And, no, it is not Global Weirding, at least not directly. This year the…
by Mike Godsey, mikeATiwindsurf.com mac wrote: “So why is this the gustiest season of memory? NW winds have always been gusty, but now the SW winds are as well.” Hi Mac, Simple answer… This season we have often had: 1. El Nino conditions that make it more likely that part of the North Pacific High…