Animated blog: Gorge waves & Nuke and Puke mode.

[windfind]

Hi Gang,

This is really a Gorge blog but since many visits the Gorge and sometimes the Bay Area and even Southern California get crazy winds when waves are aloft you may find it of interest.

It is an open secret that the Gorge often has gusty winds. But sometimes the gusts and lulls are so extreme that some sites are in "Blast and Bob" mode or as the Canadians say "Nuke and Puke" mode.

Recently on July 30 and yesterday August 2 we had afternoon Nuke and Puke at many sites while other sites to the east had good days.

So what causes the wind to sometimes be so up and down at one site that people leave wind to drive an hour for quality wind?

The answer is complex but often the issue is big surf or perhaps I should say high surf....very high surf.

This blog has lots of imagery and animations that tell the story:

http://blog.weatherflow.com/private-blog-gorge-winds-yesterday/

The other part of the Nuke and Puke equation is the depth of the marine layer but that story will have to wait.

Mike Godsey
iwindsurf.com/ikitesurf.com
Weatheflow.com