Breezing Through a Lesson in Weather 



Wind is an important part of coastal 

 weather conditions. At the beach or along 

 the sound, wind affects work and play. 



People who make their living on the 

 water know that some winds are better 

 than others for fishing and navigation. And 

 of course, "blow boaters" and windsurfers 

 depend on wind for their pleasure. 



You don't need a fancy barometer or 

 weather station information before you can 

 learn about the weather. There's a lot you 

 can find out just by feeling the wind and 

 looking up at the sky. 



A trip to the coast is a good time to 

 learn. 



The first thing you want to determine 

 is from which direction the wind is 

 blowing. After all, the source of the wind 

 is what gives it its name. For example, a 

 southwest wind is coming from the 

 southwest, a northerly from the north, and 

 so on. 



Put your face into the wind, and turn 

 your head so that you can feel, and maybe 

 even hear, the wind equally in both ears. 

 Once you sense a balance, your nose will 

 be pointed toward the origin of the wind. 



If you have trouble telling with your 

 own nose, you might get some clues from 

 sea birds perched atop pilings or standing 

 on the beach. Which way are their beaks 

 pointed? Gulls and terns usually face the 

 wind. They don't like to have their feathers 

 ruffled. 



Once you've discovered the wind 

 direction, notice its temperature. A 

 southerly wind often brings warmth and 

 humidity. Does the air seem almost 

 tropical to you? 



Winds out of the northeast are often 

 cold. Hard northeasters sometimes bring 

 fierce and lengthy storms. 



Knowing the wind direction might help 

 you decide where to tie up a boat or how 

 to anchor it. 



Wind velocity or speed is another 

 helpful thing to know. Admiral Sir Francis 

 Beaufort of the Royal Navy invented a 

 handy scale for determining wind speeds 

 by watching waves. 



If you're riding across a bridge at the 

 coast or standing on a fishing pier, you're 

 in a good position to observe the waves. 



If you see only small wavelets and no 

 foam, this is "light air," which ranks "1" on 

 the Beaufort scale. The speed of the wind 

 is between 1 and 3 mph. A "moderate 

 breeze," numbered "4" on the scale, will 

 whip the waves into whitecaps. Winds are 

 between 13 and 18 mph. 



A "strong breeze," ranking "6" on the 

 scale, brings winds 25 to 31 mph. You 

 should see cresting waves and "wind 

 streaks" on the surface of the water. A 

 wind streak is a straight line of foam 

 pushed ahead of a wave. 



There are some winds that are different 

 from the "big" weather pattern. One kind 

 of "local" coastal wind is the sea breeze. 



During the day, the land warms more 

 quickly than the ocean. So in the after- 

 noon, the warm air over the land rises, 

 pulling in cooler air from over the ocean. 

 This cool air moving toward the shore is 

 called the sea breeze. 



Have you noticed when you're at the 

 beach, gnats and mosquitos tend to be 

 worse at dawn and dusk? There's no sea 

 breeze to carry them away from you. 



If you're just learning to waterski, you 

 might fare better in the morning or late 

 afternoon, when the sea breeze isn't 

 chopping up the waves. On the other 

 hand, if you're a beginning sailor you 

 might choose mid-afternoon for better 

 wind in your sails. 



Good luck in your weather adventures! 



Carta B. Burgess 



14 SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 1991 



