Cut-Off Low moves towards Bay Area by Mike Godsey, mike@iwindsurf.com Today, Saturday August 17 saw the strongest coast NW winds in the Bay Area in many weeks with the Waddell sensor hitting 28 knots and many sites inside the bay seeing winds over 20 knots. The first image to the right shows how the huge dome of high pressure between California and…
Most models have this upper trough turning in to a Cut-Off Low by Mike Godsey, mike@iwindsurf.com
Video: nagging upper trough @ ≈ 18,000 ft. brings unending SW flow. by Mike Godsey, mike@iwindsurf.com For almost 2 weeks now a deep marine layer and SW flow has dominated the Bay Area wind. While the North Pacific High’s surface NW wind has seldom made an appearance. This pattern favors Sherman Island and the East Bay but it has mostly killed the coast winds…
Cut-Off Low at ≈ 18,000 ft. deepens Southern California marine layer by Mike Godsey, mike@iwindsurf.com The Southern California coast wind picture does not look very promising until at least Tuesday and then improves Wednesday. Why? Because the marine layer clouds will be deep and lingering while the inland valleys will be relatively cool so the pressure gradient from the ocean to the valleys will be…
Watch Video of an upper trough jazzing the Gorge winds while a Cut-Off Low does the same in the Bay Area. by Mike Godsey, mike@iwindsurf.com Today the weather pattern far above the pacific is perfect for creating strong winds in the Columbia River Gorge and San Francisco’s Sherman Island. Before looking at the video let’s identify the main actors…
This is the type of eddy that can kill Crissy and Peninsula winds but…. by Mike Godsey, mike@iwindsurf.com Typically eddies of this type form just west of the Golden Gate and keep SW flow in the Bodega to Half Moon Bay area. Fortunately for Crissy, Coyote & 3rd. kiters and sailors this eddy will only kill the Bodega winds….
Today we have a strong inversion over the marine layer clouds. The inversion is the warm air that is found above and pressing down on the marine layer clouds. If the inversion is weak the marine layer will have a soft billowy top and the surface wind on the bay will not stick to the surface very…
What is a Monsoon? by Mike Godsey, mike@iwindsurf.com Several times each mid summer Southern California coast winds fade away as mid and upper level clouds, humidity and even showers or thunderstorms come over the region. In this situation you will see the media and our forecast use the term “Monsoonal” in the forecast. Most of you think of…
Video: different perspectives of the today’s eddy by Mike Godsey, mike@iwindsurf.com First find the Golden Gate in the video. Then watch for the counter-clockwise spinning winds west of the Gate. The first image shows deep fog covering much of the central bay and the North Bay. Especially notice the huge streamer of fog curving from the Golden Gate into Napa Valley….
Heat wave ends and marine surge fizzles as Upper level high pressure retreats too fast. by Mike Godsey, mike@iwindsurf.com Well last Thursday I forecast a major marine surge to hit the S. F. Bay yesterday and there is no hint to masses of cool fog and strong SW wind pouring through the Golden Gate. What happened? The simple answer is that yesterday…