Crazy big NPH: Maui, Gorge, Bay Area, Southern California

windfind · Joined: 18 Mar 1997 Posts: 1901

Hi Gang,

This time of year the NPH should have shrunk to a fraction of its summer time size and be far SW of the California coast.

Instead, as you can see in the images below, the NPH is massive and is impacting the wind almost everywhere. At 12:30PM the Bay Area is already seeing wind into the 30's and Southern California has ramped up into the upper teens and should go stronger.

My guess is that this El Nino will not be much like past El Nino events. There is already so much heat in the pacific that the rain and winds could play out very different from that you would normally expect.

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

Benton · Joined: 28 Mar 2003 Posts: 12

Hey Mike.
Thanks so much for this special report. Your effort on a weekend is much appreciated.

I wish everybody a blast today!
Ben

ringe · Joined: 26 Feb 1996 Posts: 55 Location: channel @ 3rd Ave

Was "officially" nuking at 3rd Sunday 11/15.
Three or four shifts of sailors sailed starting early at 9:30 until sunset. I was on 3.4 , 76 ltr and was slightly OPed most of the time which made it difficult to comfortably play with the big swell. Should I buy a 2.9?!
A bonus day for the wind people it was!
Hunt

MalibuGuru · Joined: 11 Nov 1993 Posts: 9300

So Cal. Nuked again today. Sensor was down right when it hit. C street was in the 30's. I've sailed 7 days so far in November. Tomorrow could be good again.

Arrgh · Joined: 05 May 1998 Posts: 864 Location: Rio

jp5 · Joined: 19 May 1998 Posts: 3394 Location: OnUr6

We have another sensor located on the hillside over looking leo and surfline has a camera at county line so even if the leo sensor is out we have other ways to check it. what you delta guys need is a web cam. Maybe the folks at Rio Viento can be talked into hosting one.

Arrgh · Joined: 05 May 1998 Posts: 864 Location: Rio

Rio Viento hosted a web cam several years ago which was placed by a company, whose name I can't remember, that put up several around the Bay Area. It was black and white and low def but still nice to have. It's still up on the mast in fact. I tried but failed to talk Tony, and Steve at RVWA, into adding DSL to the Windtalker line to make the camera work again. That Windtalker, BTW, has been our savior this year but the unit itself finally gave up. I'm trying to contact Litek to see if they can repair it, as they no longer make them.

CoyoteOleg · Joined: 22 Sep 2009 Posts: 3

I think what we've seen yesterday here in Bay Area was the windiest day in 2,5 years. And the weirdest - since it happened in mid-November. Anyone agree?

I was overpowered on my daughter's 3.3 sail. Last time used it on 04/15/2013 when it did go above 50mph for a short period of time.

windfind · Joined: 18 Mar 1997 Posts: 1901

Hi Gang,

Yep, these powerful northerly winds are not at all typical for mid November on the California coast.

We should be seeing counter-clockwise spinning storm system out in the Pacific around this time.

Like I said in my last post by this time the North Pacific High is usually shriveled and far to the SW and the California coast has weak or no NW wind.

But once again check out the animation below which shows a huge clockwise North Pacific High ruling the Pacific creating big NW winds on the coast just like it was spring!

Incidentally the pressure gradient to the Central Valley is very weak except in the direction of Bakersfield. But strong 20-35 gusts winds over the Bay Area, Southern California and Baja have been jazzing up the surface wind.

The North Pacific High has also shoved a ridge into the Great Basin so Baja's East Cape is also getting northerly wind. Folks down there who don't understand wind are probably thinking that winter El Norte big winds that follow a storm systems passage have arrived early.

But this huge wind event was not the follow up of a winter storm but rather a spring type North Pacific High.

Enjoy!

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

MalibuGuru · Joined: 11 Nov 1993 Posts: 9300

Yes, I was just commenting to a friend on the beach today that it felt like spring.....except it's not light until 7 pm, so we can't take advantage of the great wind that usually comes up late in the day. We'd have been on our 3 meter sails if we had the added benefit of the spring thermals too!!