(31 percent) and southwest-west-southwest (28 percent). The light winds and 
bimodal directional distribution produced a low seasonal resultant speed of 
0.2 m/sec. The resultant southerly direction persisted through August when a 
shift back to northerly directions occurred; the seasonal resultant was 
126 deg. 
69. October through December brought a shift back to the northerly dom- 
inance, with percentages again two-to-one more frequent. Unlike January 
through March, in which easterly and westerly directions were evenly split, 
during this season winds were easterly more than 52 percent of the time 
(15 percent more often than westerly directions). The resultant speed, 
2.4 m/sec, was the highest of all seasons. The resultant direction was 
38 deg, reflecting the predominance of strong northeast winds. 
70. The highest wind speeds occurred during October through December ; 
14 percent equaled or exceeded 10 m/sec. Three percent were greater than or 
equal to 15 m/sec, and on two occasions average speeds in excess of 22 m/sec 
were observed. 
71. Present versus past years. The pattern of predominant wind direc- 
tion rotation from northerly during the cold months (January through March and 
October through December) to southerly during the warm months (April through 
September) and strong winds from the east during October through December is 
consistent with that during past years at the FRF (Figures 6 and 7). However, 
during 1982, the winds blew far more often from the easterly directions and 
less often from the north through northwesterly direction than past records 
have shown (Table 5). The annual resultant magnitudes are comparable, while 
the directions show a 58 deg shift toward the east. The tendency for winds to 
blow more often from the easterly directions during September, October, and 
November 1982 is demonstrated by comparison of these data with data from 
September, October, and November of 1980 and 1981 combined (Table 6). The 
difference between the distribution of winds for 1982 and previous years was 
due, in part, to unseasonable westerly winds in the upper atmosphere (National 
Climatic Data Center 1983). 
72. Combination of years--1980 through 1982. The distribution of winds 
for the combined 1980 through 1982 data indicates a strong northeasterly and 
southwesterly tendency with few northwesterly and southeasterly winds (Fig- 
ure 8). Seasonal variations are large, with northern winds dominating during 
the fall and winter and southern winds during spring and summer (Figure 8 and 
Table 5). 
37 
