Jun 18, 2007 5:55 pm US/Eastern
WeatherWise: Wind Direction & Sea Breezes
by Mish Michaels
BOSTON (WBZ) ―
The WBZ weather team and the Museum of Science have partnered up to get you wise about the weather. The project is called just that, "WeatherWise" and is supported by a $5 million dollar grant from the National Science Foundation.
As you know, weather forecasting is tricky business. It's a complex science, but what if you only had to come up with a forecast for the next few hours? This type of short term forecast is called a nowcast, and today we focus on wind direction.
A sunny day -- what a treat....but how warm will it get?
Well as the song goes, the answer my friend, is blowing in the wind.
Take yesterday for example, southwest winds were on the move, pulling warmer weather up from the southern states.
Southwest winds are a warm wind direction at any time of year. In fact, Boston topped out at 88 degrees!
What a contrast to last week, when temperatures in Boston reached just 55 degrees.
We were shivering for days! What gives? Wind direction has it. Last week a pesky ocean storm kept in the clouds and swept a cold northeast wind in off of the chilly Atlantic.
Cool ocean waters now only in the 50s also play a role in a local wind called a sea breeze.
So what is a sea breeze? And I don't mean the cocktail.
On sunny days with light winds, the land heats up fast. Air rises over the land, allowing cool air camped out over the Atlantic to slide onshore.
A weak sea breeze brings cooler air inland a mile or so. A stronger sea breeze can penetrate inland by as much as 10 or 15 miles.
A sea breeze usually sets up early in the afternoon and can turn a warm spring day into a chilly one along the coast.
But in the summer, a sea breeze is like natural air conditioning, giving folks a break from the heat.
A weak sea breeze was blowing today, keeping temperatures in the 70s at the beach while just a few miles inland, readings were in the 80s.
So when it comes to forecasting daily temperatures, wind direction is the key.
(© MMVII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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