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New Blog: Understanding Baja's East Cape winds

 
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windfind



Joined: 18 Mar 1997
Posts: 1899

PostPosted: Thu Nov 06, 2014 12:38 pm    Post subject: New Blog: Understanding Baja's East Cape winds Reply with quote

Hi Gang,

Here is a new blog describing the basic wind patterns along Baja's Sea of Cortez. Lots of cool stuff even if you never make it down there.

http://blog.weatherflow.com/understanding-baja-winds/

Mike Godsey
iwindsurf.com



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airwave



Joined: 29 Jun 2000
Posts: 386

PostPosted: Fri Nov 07, 2014 12:19 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks for the info on the Del Norte's. I've yet to catch them on my vacations to LV.
The wind maps on your post makes it look as though the Del Norte is strongest just north of Santa Rosalia up to Bahia San Rafael. I would presume the swell would be good there too.
Any story on the accessibility and conditions there?
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windfind



Joined: 18 Mar 1997
Posts: 1899

PostPosted: Fri Nov 07, 2014 3:17 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

airwave wrote:
Thanks for the info on the Del Norte's. I've yet to catch them on my vacations to LV.
The wind maps on your post makes it look as though the Del Norte is strongest just north of Santa Rosalia up to Bahia San Rafael. I would presume the swell would be good there too.
Any story on the accessibility and conditions there?


Hi Airwave,

Strong El Norte winds are elusive. On really good years they happen 1-3 times per month in the winter. And some years, like last year, they rarely happen. Basically you want frequent storms passing over Northern California with a week or so between storms. If storms are rare or if they are too close together then there is never time for a high pressure to mature towards the 4 corners.

Back in the old days windsurfers camped at over a dozen different beaches over a 500 mile stretch of Baja hoping a strong El Norte would develop. Gradually we learned that you have to be at a site that also has a local thermal wind aka local sea breeze. That way you were sailing upper teens to low 20's wind even on a weak El Norte.

Since you have missed El Norte so far let me describe what happens. The preceding day is almost calm. That night you go to sleep and sometime after midnight you suddenly hear crashing noises as chairs and table outside are blown over and an almost scary whistling of the wind that makes it hard to sleep. By dawn 3-4 foot surf is breaking on the beaches. The winds may be light near shore at first but way outside you can see huge breaking swell. The second day of an El Norte is weaker and the 3rd. day is probably only upper teens.

The animation in the blog just shows a random El Norte event. The strongest winds can focus anywhere along the Sea of Cortez depending upon where the isobars are closest together. But without a local pressure gradient to suck those winds to the beach most places do not have reliable wind at the shore.

Hope to see you in La Ventana this year.

Mike Godsey
iwindsurf.com
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189C99F7-6A34-4BC2-A5EE5E57E233FEB0



Joined: 26 Dec 2014
Posts: 1

PostPosted: Fri Dec 26, 2014 1:07 pm    Post subject: Baja Reply with quote

Any recent updates on wind conditions, roads, and any new hassles to worry about. Seems that all info re: baja is over a year old.
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coachg



Joined: 10 Sep 2000
Posts: 3546

PostPosted: Sat Dec 27, 2014 1:17 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Looks like Santa is already there.


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tcevans



Joined: 16 Jul 2002
Posts: 78

PostPosted: Fri Jan 02, 2015 3:49 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hi Mike,

What's your outlook on the prevalence of El Norte this year?

My Wife and I are thinking of taking a short diving vacation in Cabo Pulmo in Feb, but will make different plans if it's expected to be a strong El Norte year.

Thanks,
Tom
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