Part 1 : Rare Sept. marine surge could develop overnight. by Mike Godsey, mike AT iwindsurf.com Looking at Mark’s extended forecast for tomorrow Thursday Sept. 8 there is a mention of southerly flow along the coast. I have been watching the pressure gradients and the satellite imagery today and there is a chance this southerly…
Warm water friend, Topography Foe. by Mike Godsey, mike AT iwindsurf.com Hurricane Newton has been sliding up Baja’s Sea of Cortez the last few days and passed near La Ventana and Los Barriles will few reports of damage despite strong winds and heavy rain. Recent years have seen unprecedented numbers of tropical storms and hurricanes curving off…
Why does a “good” forecast go “bad”? by Mike Godsey, mike@ AT iwindsurf.com So take a look at Ben’s forecast update for the Gorge yesterday at 11:30 for the corridor winds. And looking at the Swell City wind graph you can see his forecast for low to faint mid 20’s was right on. But it…
Bringing strong winds to Pt. Isabel and the Olympic Circle. by Mike Godsey, mike AT iwindsurf.com Pt. Isabel/Marina Bay is one of the great places to kite or sail in the Bay Area. You can actually cruise around a large uninhabited island. Take a hike across and driftwood strewn sand spit and then relaunch and…
Where does the heat come from and why does it end with a blow. by Mike Godsey, mike AT iwindsurf.com So I was at Stevenson late yesterday afternoon waiting for the faint east winds to turn to cooling mild west winds enjoying the shade, great food and drink when I realized I had a blog…
UNDER CONSTRUCTION The answer lies with wavy jet stream. by Mike Godsey, mike AT iwindsurf.com At the Hatchery this 2016 summer season 2 topics beyond the endless chatter about sail sizes are common. Most common are: 1. Why aren’t we getting the consistent 4.2 sail size winds typical of summer. It seems the average winds are either weaker than normal…
Subtle synoptic changes have major impact on Bay Area wind distribution. by Mike Godsey, mike@iwindsurf.com If you work the waters north of the Bay Bridge you have seen plenty of strong if sometimes gusty days this season. But if you are a coast or Coyote and 3rd. Ave. water person you have had many weak or…
Año Nuevo clearing sets the stage for winds to the south. by Mike Godsey, mike AT iwindsurf.com If you only sail inside the bay the frequent appearance of the phrase “Año Nuevo clearing” may see very cryptic. But is you kite or sail the coast from Waddell south that phrase sets your heart pounding. Most years…
Sure the Gorge winds are often gusty but some times they are over the top gusty…Why? by Mike Godsey, mike@iwindsurf.com Take a look at the forecast for yesterday Aug. 2, 2016 to the right. Exactly what does the forecast mean when it talks about strong wind aloft, turbulence, waves and gusty UP AND DOWN winds? And how…
Timing is everything! by Mike Godsey, mike AT iwindsurf.com I avoid forecasting for the Gorge for a number of reasons. The two biggest reasons are that it takes about 2-4 years of forecasting in a new area to learn how to interpret all the model output and empirical data to do decent forecasts. The second…