Wind – February 1, 2025

¡Buenos dias! An Oceansat satellite pass just after midnight measured NNW winds of 15 knots just east of Cerralvo, and all of the latest numerical model forecasts show similar winds will continue today. While models do indicate some wind shadowing may continue on northern beaches, the wind quality should be better there than the last 2 days. Infrared satellite loops early this morning showed a sunny day ahead, so our local thermal should be able to pull the winds onshore along the southern beaches by mid afternoon. The surface high anchored over the eastern Pacific will continue to weaken on Sunday, but all of the latest model runs show enough background north flow will continue to give us another windy afternoon, with winds finally returning to having a slight onshore component along all area beaches. A series of storm systems will impact California over the next week (see nerd note below), and as a result the surface pressure gradient over BCS will become weak on Monday, with only light winds expected here. The background flow is forecast to remain light on Tuesday, with only light onshore breezes expected during the afternoon. The forecast for Wednesday through Friday is a low-confidence one at this point, as long-range models disagree on the details which will control our local winds. For now, it appears most likely that Wednesday will be another light wind day, but we may see just enough background north flow return on Thursday into Friday to help jump start our local wind machine.

  • Today…Sunny. North wind 18-22 mph.
  • Sunday…Sunny. North wind 16-20 mph.
  • Monday…Mostly sunny. Northeast wind 10-12 mph.
  • Tuesday…Mostly sunny. East wind 8-10 mph.
  • Wednesday…Sunny. Northeast wind 12-14 mph.
  • Thursday…Sunny. North wind 16-18 mph.
  • Friday…Sunny. North wind 16-18 mph.

Nerd Note: A series of 3 storm systems is forecast to impact much of northern California over the next week, with periods of moderate to heavy precipitation. Below is a map showing the National Weather Service Weather Prediction Center’s forecast for total precipitation over the next 7 days. Some areas of the northern Sierra could see total liquid equivalent (combined rain and snow) amounts of 15 to 20 inches! Total snowfall for the high Sierra above 7000 to 8000 feet could exceed 10 feet.