move to geraldton

Temperature inversions can severely affect the seabreeze developing. Cities like Sydney with large amounts of concrete and roads are often affected by inversions.

see en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temperature_inversion

The basic premise of a Seabreeze is that the land is heated up during the day. As the day progresses and the sun loses some of its strength the warm air of the land begins to rise. This air is then replaced by the cooler air coming in off the ocean. If the day is particularly hot, then the warmth of the earth hasn't the opportunity to "vent" and rise into the atmosphere.

This is a very basic explanation obviously without technicalities of atmospheric pressures etc. The days of 24 - 28 degrees are generally your best hope of a solid seabreeze, notwithstanding other contributing factors.

Clear as mud!

its up to hughie

Briefly about a complex issue
It takes more than Hot land and cold water to produce a seabreeze.

WA's seabreeze is best understood as a pressure gradient wid produced by a deep inland area of low pressure called the 'Pilbara low'. The position of the Pilbara Low is determined by surrounding areas of high pressure. Highs off the West Coast [all this summer] push it Inland and the Southerly cranks. Highs in the bight [alot of last year] push it to the coast and offshore and we get hot north east or northerlies winds, and crap seabreezes...... 'Troughed out' in WA slang .

The East coast gets more reliable seabreezes in El Nino years [low rainfall, cold water, predominantly high pressures in The Tasman], but this year has been wet and warm water in the Tasman [El Nina]produces predominantly low pressure in the Tasman which equalises with the heat low inland negating any barometric pressure diffrentilal and hence killing the wind. But conversely Tasman lows produce good surf with light winds so better wax up the surfboard again this year

Wait...do you mean La Nina, or El Nino is good?

tmiddled said...

Wait...do you mean La Nina, or El Nino is good?

He means el ninO - the opposite of la ninA, which is what is screwing the E coast seabreeze this year-except for today (honked) and the next few days.

Move to freo

D

It's those same highs lodging in the bite that give US our wind. I hope like christ it doesn't do this for another couple of years. This season has been dog **** to say the least. [}:)]