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  1. #1
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    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
    thats new hampshire as fuck


    We ain't eager to be legal, so please leave me with the keys to your Jeep Eagle.

  2. #2
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    <Here comes those Santa Ana winds again> Steely
    Aliases: B-Dub, B-Dubya, & B. White

  3. #3
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    Off shore winds + BIG swell = good surf

    see punani's post

  4. #4
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    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.
    "I knew in an instant that the three dollars I had spent on wine would not go to waste."

  5. #5
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    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
    Aliases: B-Dub, B-Dubya, & B. White

  6. #6
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    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.
    Daniel Ortega eats here.

  7. #7
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    Heh...I guess Chicago should STFU regarding surf conditions in Cali...

  8. #8
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    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.)

  9. #9
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    the combination of santa ana's and a good swell is nice.
    fine

  10. #10
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    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.
    thats new hampshire as fuck


    We ain't eager to be legal, so please leave me with the keys to your Jeep Eagle.

  11. #11
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    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. #12
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    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.
    Daniel Ortega eats here.

  13. #13
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    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.

  14. #14
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    Quote Originally Posted by iceman
    Wind makes waves, brutha.
    Hold everything...when I fart in the hot tub, I get bubbles, not waves.
    Daniel Ortega eats here.

  15. #15
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    Quote Originally Posted by iceman
    Vinz, you are an ocean jong!

    No dude, you are.
    thats new hampshire as fuck


    We ain't eager to be legal, so please leave me with the keys to your Jeep Eagle.

  16. #16
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    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
    fine

  17. #17
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    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.

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