The Santa Ana winds

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12-16-2004, 11:17 PM
vinzclortho

The Santa Ana winds

Are friggin SERIOUS!!! There were crazy sandstorms while driving to work, it was like 84 degrees today. I thought the paint was being stripped off my car while on the 101 the wind was blowning the sand so hard. I guess the wind was blowing over 18 wheelers and whanot.

Vinzclortho saw, and then ran over, his first tumbleweed today while on the way to work! At first I was scared of it. Then I thought, it's probably more scared of me than I am of it so I charged and ran it over... Somebody has to weed out the sick and old.

It definitely doesn't feel like Christmas is next week considering how warm it is in SoCal. According to our nation's top scientists, the Santa Ana winds come in off the desert, I noticed there were alot of white caps on the ocean when I woke up this morning. Anybody go surfing? Were the waves big or was it just choppy? I imagine because the wind is coming off the desert it might have an adverse effect on the waves.... Just interested really.

Current Conditions for Marblehead, MA (01945)
33°F
Fair Feels Like
25°F
UV Index: 0 Low
Dew Point: 19°F
Humidity: 56%
Visibility: 10.0 miles
Pressure: 30.06 inches and falling
Wind: From the South Southwest at 9 mph

Current conditions for Ventura, CA (93001)
70°F
Fair Feels Like
70°F
UV Index: 0 Low
Dew Point: 19°F
Humidity: 14%
Visibility: 10.0 miles
Pressure: 30.29 inches and rising
Wind: From the East Northeast at 21 mph
12-16-2004, 11:20 PM
FollowMe

<Here comes those Santa Ana winds again> Steely
12-16-2004, 11:26 PM
truth

Off shore winds + BIG swell = good surf

see punani's post
12-16-2004, 11:34 PM
Arty50

Don't the Santa Ana's count as onshore winds? Thus, I always thought they killed the surf. Or maybe that's what you're trying to say anyway.

Anyway, welcome to LA, vinz! Now you understand why I wore shorts all but maybe 5 days for the first 18 years of my life.
12-16-2004, 11:34 PM
FollowMe

Quote:

Originally Posted by truth

Off shore winds + BIG swell = good surf

see punani's post

Santa Anas are in So Cal...no wind up north today
12-17-2004, 09:56 AM
Viva

Arty's right. The Santa Ana's come out from yonder desert and have negligble influence on ocean swells. The nice surf is more likely due to the storms brewing out in the Pacific. From the same series of storms that have been dumping warm rain on the PNW.

BTW, the term "Santa Ana Wind" comes from the hot winds that ripped down Santa Ana Canyon in Orange County back in the day. It's now become a generic name for all west-flowing high pressure winds generated in the interior deserts that cross over the coastal mountains.
12-17-2004, 10:05 AM
truth

Heh...I guess Chicago should STFU regarding surf conditions in Cali... :redface:
12-17-2004, 12:41 PM
AntiSoCalSkier

Santa Anas = good snowmaking in the local mountains

(Which would be cool except they're still the local mountains and it's still artificial snow.)
12-17-2004, 03:31 PM
tuffy109

the combination of santa ana's and a good swell is nice.
12-17-2004, 03:57 PM
vinzclortho

Thanks Arty! I'm definitely lovin it so far here, I just gotta get some skiing in!!

So the waves are good because of storms in the Pacific and the crazy wind gusts from the desert aren't affecting the waves eh? Right on, I get out at 3:30 today so I may walk down to moondoggie point to watch people surf.
12-17-2004, 04:10 PM
iceman

Vinz, you are an ocean jong!

You're right that offshore winds don't make the swell, but essentially they push against the waves, holding them up and making the break bigger and the surfing better.
12-17-2004, 04:14 PM
Viva

Quote:

Originally Posted by iceman

Vinz, you are an ocean jong!

You're right that offshore winds don't make the swell, but essentially they push against the waves, holding them up and making the break bigger and the surfing better.

What if there's no waves to begin with (a situation that's common in SoCal in the winter)? Will the offshore winds create waves going out to sea? If so, there ought to be some sick surfing going on in Japan about now.
12-17-2004, 04:18 PM
iceman

Quote:

Originally Posted by Viva

Will the offshore winds create waves going out to sea?

Wind makes waves, brutha. If those winds blew straight from the desert to Japan they'd have some hellacious surf there fer shur.
12-17-2004, 04:22 PM
Viva

Quote:

Originally Posted by iceman

Wind makes waves, brutha.

Hold everything...when I fart in the hot tub, I get bubbles, not waves.
12-17-2004, 06:11 PM
vinzclortho

Quote:

Originally Posted by iceman

Vinz, you are an ocean jong!

No dude, you are.
12-18-2004, 09:08 AM
tuffy109

Quote:

Originally Posted by Viva

What if there's no waves to begin with (a situation that's common in SoCal in the winter)?

that's somewhat common (ie, once every few weeks) year round, but more likely in the summer.

if it's windy and there's no waves, then it's just choppy.

there's waves now b/c there's a swell. check the map, the darker the red, the stronger the swell.

http://facs.scripps.edu/surf/images/pacpanimne.gif
12-18-2004, 09:33 AM
1000-oaks

Quote:

Originally Posted by Viva

What if there's no waves to begin with (a situation that's common in SoCal in the winter)? Will the offshore winds create waves going out to sea? If so, there ought to be some sick surfing going on in Japan about now.

I live on the SoCal coast and surf, the surfing is MUCH better during the winter than the little summer rollers. (yeah, now and then you get a big south swell but that's the exception) Big storms/wind off Alaska and Japan make 50' waves, which "clean up" and organize on the way to the west coast. The waves you get today are from a big storm thousands of miles away a week ago. Waves from local storms (meaning within 500 miles) are choppy, bumpy, "trashy", "stormy" and usually suck. Better than nothing though.