Have you noticed that the wind and weather patterns seem to be getting more extreme? This Sunday, August 20, most models are forecasting weather events that are quite unusual. How unusual? Well, compared to historical data, the modeled trajectory of hurricane Hilary’s remains, as it dies, carries it right up the California coast past Southern…
Hi Michael, Welcome back to the sport! Skip to the bottom of this blog for the fast answer to your question. Background: 3rd. Ave. is one of the most complex places in the Bay Area to forecast. It is fed strong ocean WNW to NW wind from the San Bruno Gap and usually weaker W to…
In many places in the San Francisco Bay Area, wind forecasting is difficult. But the most frustrating place for meteorologists and customers is the winds between the San Mateo Bridge channel and the shoreline near the 3rd. Ave. shoreline. Windsurfers, kiters, wingers and kayakers call this area the zone between the 3rd. Ave. launch sites…
These e-mails, forum posts and images are good example of how I learn to improve my San Francisco Bay Area forecasts.
Two of the most useful tools in San Francisco Bay Area wind forecasting are satellite imagery and cam imagery. Unfortunately, using these tools effectively is partially an art. It requires years of practice and even then, you have the foreknowledge that the writing in the fog may change radically by the afternoon. These images and…
The San Francisco Bay Area winds are much more complex than Southern California or The Gorge. In the Gorge, the ocean winds sweep through a single gap in the Coast Range, following a single pressure gradient to the Columbia Basin. While Southern California ocean winds mostly blow along the coast or sweep over flat coastal…
This visual blog tells a bit of the story behind my 3rd. Ave. launch site forecast today: Note: I am going to stick to last night’s forecast below except to mention that the eddy is weaker and will impact Pt. Isabel and 3rd. Ave. less than I thought. Blog about 3rd. Ave. launch site winds…