Been Thinking About The Wind A Lot Lately.

It's always been our suspicion that April is the windiest month in the Bay Area? Our first lesson in San Francisco wind came during the winter of 1992-1993 when we first learned that an umbrella held into the wind during a winter rain kept me drier than if it was above my head. Our second lesson came from a prim and proper english woman we worked with that same year who pointed out that though a brisk windy day drops the temperature, it keeps the fog from rolling in. But really this is all a bit premature of a topic as May and June are the windiest averaging gusts of 13 mph, toping April's 11 mph.

Of course that did not stop us in our compulsive pursuits of all things wind the last couple days which led us to one of our favorite applets ever. The San Francisco Bay Wind Pattern Streaklines on the SF Ports at the Us Geological Society shows animated wind patterns from the day you are looking at it. Of course it's more striking to watch the winder it is, but it's April so you should get a good show anytime.

Check it: http://sfports.wr.usgs.gov/wind/streaklines.shtml

Check out how the pacific winds stream into the mouth of the bay and actually accelerate to accommodate the pushing wind from behind. Then watch it curve north and south after it enter the bay. There a dang near 90 degree right turn that blows straight down to the South Bay and beyond. Or watch the coastal ranges and see how it is diverted and then shimmy over the ridges. Watch it get tangled in the 4,000 ft Grizzly peak east of silicon Valley. Look how Hillsdale and Burlingame are almost wind free.

While on this brisk note, local meteorologist, AA spotted frost just last Monday morning in the Woodside area. Where the heck is the windshield scraper?
SFist Ted, contributing.