Wind Reduction At The Coast
Posted by Tim_NC on 10/1/2010, 8:43 am
Having lived on the immediate coast of Delaware for several years (several locations, ranging from ocean block to a maximum of 1 mile inland), I'm well familiar with land-caused wind reduction in extra-tropical storms (Delaware gets plenty of nor'easters.)

Coastal Delaware, like Coastal North Carolina, has almost no structures higher than three stories. The Delaware and North Carolina coasts are not "city-like." The winds are fairly uniform, whatever one's location.

Strongest winds in a nor'easter are always directly 'at the beach' itself, but there's little wind reduction over these simple barrier islands and immediate mainland coast. Noticeable wind reduction kicks in only upon moving into the mainland area.

It's no surprise Washington, DC doesn't get the same winds as Rehoboth Beach, Delaware during a nor'easter. On more than one occasion I've driven from DC to the coast to see a big nor'easter and seeing how the wind changes along the way was always fascinating. I'd notice the wind increasing markedly as I neared the coast - though still many miles inland.

Yesterday's Low was particularly odd because it wasn't a tropical storm nor was it a well-developed extra-tropical. I have a hard time even calling it a nor'easter, being we never had northeast winds (due to the bizarre formation and track.)

This week is notable as a rain event; period. There were no big 'storms' as we normally think of them. A surface Low developed along the long-stalled coastal front and those of us near it, on the right side, experienced a brief period of unusual winds. The Low spread noticeable winds to some along it's path northwards.

No one is making a big deal of this; or hyping it. That some appear disturbed by the mere mention of winds is befuddling. Winds like the 40 G55 reported at Va. Beach were short-lived but crimany, they existed.

Just because this wasn't a 'wind event' doesn't mean there were no winds whatsoever. There's never a shortage of people who say "well, the wind didn't blow hard enough or long enough to make it a REAL storm." So what!

I sure hope Wilmington stays out of the weather news for the rest of this year.

Tim NC
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New Low Rapidly Deepening Off South Carolina Coast - Tim_NC, 9/30/2010, 1:41 am
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