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 Mike Godsey,mikeATiwindsurf.com For several weeks now our forecast team has been struggling with San Francisco Bay Area forecasting during a surface eddy pattern that is unprecedented in its duration and longevity. Now we have to add a Cut-Off Low up at ≈ 18,000 ft. to the mix. And there is a reason for the…
by Mike Godsey, mike AT iwindsurf.com Note: This blog uses Southern California as an example of picking the best model using ship reports but the basic idea of the blog is relevant to all regions in the USA. On winter days as I walk through the La Ventana campground I am always impressed by the…
by Mike Godsey, mikeATiwindsurf.com As you can see in my banner animation above lots of sites had strong wind yesterday. The day played out pretty much as outlined in my 2 recent blogs about convergence aloft and the two NPH’s merging. This blog shows how the surface winds you see in the banner were related…
Upper convergence and divergence the strength of the North Pacific High: by Mike Godsey, mikeATiwindsurf.com ROUGH DRAFT There is a tendency of many kiters and especially sailors to look at the wind from a 2-dimensional perspective. This means we only care about the direction and strength of the wind. Although kiters are sometimes aware that their…
by Mike Godsey, mikeATiwindsurf.com, More photos here Lots of you know about the thermal trough (aka “heat bubble”) that can kill some Southern California sites, especially from Belmont to Seal, when we get a major heat event. But if I am right we will be dealing with another thermal trough tomorrow, Monday, April 1. This…
by Mike Godsey, Mike AT iwindsurf.com This symbol, omega, is the last letter of the Greek alphabet and a famous watch brand. But in meteorology, it is the shape of the omega symbol, written in our upper-level winds, that has locked most of the west coast into a weather pattern with little day to day…
by Mike Godsey, mail: mike AT iwindsurf Recent days have seen cool powerful easterly winds in the western Gorge, powerful Santa Ana winds for Southern California, nagging wind killing NE winds just aloft over the Bay Area. And for the great majority of kiters and windsurfers, these easterly winds are useless. But there is one…
Strong North Pacific High + low pressure in Great Basin + strong winds aloft = Epic winds! by Mike Godsey, mike AT iwindsurf.com Strong wind ruled the west coast on March 12, 2019. Here is a visual summary of the causes and the results: Note the North Pacific High off the west coast. Look at…