Let's take it down a notch.
SURF:
Solid hurricane Andrew S swell earlier in the week for the OC was replaced by solid southern hemisphere SW swell for north San Diego county. All the while the June Gloom and S winds hung around at the beaches. Today we have leftover chest high SW swell with a touch of NW windswell (as well as June Gloom again) and S winds already at 8 mph. Tomorrow looks to be the same with even smaller SW swell. By Sunday it's flat- but we should have more sunshine!
FORECAST:
After a small weekend of surf, we get a little S bump from a storm off Antarctica last week. Look for chest high sets Monday to Wednesday.
WEATHER:
Boy, May Gray and June Gloom are really putting a hold on summer around here. We have yet another weak low pressure system above us today (how many Fridays in a row has that been?) and it will stick around tomorrow. Sunday weak high pressure builds and we get a little more sunshine and temps about 70 at the beaches. That lasts until Tuesday. Then another weak low pressure arrives on Wednesday for more low cloud/fog at the beaches the 2nd half of next week. No real rain in sight and no real sun in sight for the near future either.
BEST BET:
Leftover swell today or more chest high sets and sunnier conditions on Tuesday.
NEWS OF THE WEEK:
Continuing on last week's hurricane theme, I thought it would be a good time for a refresher course. Just what makes a good hurricane? How come all hurricanes off Baja don't send swell our way? Just who are these Saffir-Simpson guys?! Why? Why? Why? Hopefully the info below makes sense of it all.
First up, what makes a good hurricane? Water temperatures are important of course. A minimum of 82 degrees is required- which usually happens off Mainland Mexico in the summer. Next, add a disturbance in the atmosphere, generally an easterly wave of clouds, formed from winds resulting from the clash between a hot Mainland Mexico land mass and the relatively cooler Pacific Ocean. These waves provide the initial energy and spin required for a hurricane to develop. With the right mix of winds and sea surface temperatures, an ordinary cluster of tropical thunderstorms can explode into a tropical storm. Hurricanes essentially act as engines, drawing energy up from warm tropical ocean waters to power the intense winds, powerful thunderstorms, and immense ocean surges. Water vapor from the warm ocean surface evaporates, forming towering convective clouds that surround the eyewall and rainband regions of the storm. As the water vapor cools and condenses from a gas back to a liquid state it releases latent heat. The released heat warms the surrounding air, making it lighter and promoting more clouds. Because the hurricane-speed winds surrounding the clear eye are often absent from the center of a hurricane, the heaviest rain clouds are pushed out to form a ring around the center, leaving a relatively fair-weather eye.
So now that we have our storm, are we done? Not quite. As with all swell producing storms, you need 4 important factors to make a good one:
1. The size of the storm (i.e. a storm the size of California will make a bigger swell than a storm the size of your front yard)
2. Duration of the wind (i.e. if you get a wind gust of 50 mph, you won't get lots of surf, but if you get 50 mph winds blowing for 4 days, it will keep building bigger swell)
3. Strength of wind (i.e. 5 mph wind won't give you enough energy to make good surf as well as 50 mph wind)
4. Direction the storm/winds are moving/aimed (i.e. if a storm is headed towards us, the energy from the winds will be stronger. If it's moving away, the impact will be less)
Are we there yet? Not quite. There is a 5th factor. Swell angle is just as important as all the other items above. If a storm doesn't have an unobstructed view of us, the swell will be diminished (or non-existent). Makes sense. How come we don't get surf from hurricanes in the Atlantic? It would have to travel south around Cape Horn in South America then come back up to us in California. An exaggeration of course, but even something like the Baja Peninsula getting in the way will block a majority of a hurricane's swell from bending around the coastline and reaching us. Like in the case of Hurricane Andres and Hurricane Blanca this week; Andres had a clear view of California and Blanca has been hiding behind Baja.
So now that we know the ingredients, how are hurricanes classified? You've probably heard the terms Category 1 hurricane or even monsters like a Category 5. Most meteorologists in North America use the Saffir-Simpson scale. The scale was developed in 1971 by civil engineer Herbert Saffir and meteorologist Robert Simpson. Here's a breakdown of the rankings:
- Category 1: 74-95 mph winds. Minimal damage to structures and trees.
- Category 2: 96-110 mph winds. Well-constructed homes could sustain roofing damage. Small trees uprooted.
- Category 3: 111-129 mph winds. Considered a 'major' hurricane. Homes start to lose their roofs. Many trees snapped or uprooted.
- Category 4: 130-156 mph winds. Considered a 'major' hurricane. In addition to roof loss, homes start to lose their walls. Most trees snapped/uprooted. Most of the area will be uninhabitable for weeks/months.
- Category 5: 157 mph+. Considered the strongest of the major hurricanes. High percentage of homes destroyed. Power may be out for weeks/months.
Now that we've been through Andres and Blanca to start off the season, who's the next up to bat?
- Andres
- Blanca
- Carlos
- Dolores
- Enrique
- Felicia
- Guillermo
- Hilda
- Ignacio
- Jimena
- Kevin
- Linda
- Marty
- Nora
- Olaf
- Patricia
- Rick
- Sandra
- Terry
- Vivian
- Waldo
- Xina
- York
- Zelda
Last and final topic: Has southern California ever been hit by a hurricane? It's up for debate but pretty much the answer is no. Because of our cooler water temperatures (consistently under 82 degrees- the most I've ever seen here is high 70's for about a week in late summers), storms lose their energy source before they hit us. We have had some storms try their darndest and roll into town as tropical storms, but no full fledged hurricanes have been accurately recorded (I don't believe reports from the 1800's).
PIC OF THE WEEK:
Because of the topography in the background of the photo, this wave eerily looks like it could be in southern California. But of course it's not, right? Maybe? Oh what the heck- it is California! Right down the street actually!! I'm on it!!! I'm crazy.
Keep Surfing,
Michael W. Glenn
Robust
Next FIFA President. For A Fee.
Like Spicoli, Bodhi, And Rick Kane Rolled Into 1
