For those of you who live or travel along the Pacific NW coast you might be saying to yourself, there is plenty of wind here and you’re right. The coasts of Washington, Oregon and northern California have seen their share of wind this winter. The same can be said for tropical waters of the Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean, which have experience fresh NE-E winds due to the strong cold air surges moving south of out the Arctic region in the upper to mid latitudes.
Nope, portions of the South China sea have had plenty of NE wind this winter season as the strong high cells over eastern China have been forcing alot of cold air southward and strong NE winds across the South China Sea and the western Pacific Ocean.
There is one area this season that really hasn’t experienced the seasonal increase in winds due to the cold air moving southward and that area is the Arabian Sea.
The Arabian Sea typically experiences increasing NE-ly winds during this time of the and it last as long as the cold air to the north pushes southward, but this year, the winds are NE-ly but there hasn’t been a real good, strong “seasonal NE Monsoon” in this region so far. Oh sure, there are pockets of increased winds if you believe the reports from every weather reporting ship. Satellite data shows the pattern has been fairly consistent at force 4-5 for the last few weeks and one has to wonder, how long will it take for this conditions to increase.
Pirate activity in this area is benefiting from the lack of strong NE winds. The strong NE winds that typically reach force 7-8 in this region will be strong enough that pirates won’t venture out in their smaller vessels. So far, with the winds closer to force 4-5 the pirate season continues. Now these winds will eventually get there and last for a period of time, maybe a few weeks, but before you know it the NE winds will ease and the gradual transition into the SW monsoon will take place.
Part of the reason for the lack of strong winds is the movement of storms further to the north. The cold air across Europe hasn’t really surged southward across the Med Sea toward Saudi Arabia. Most of the cold air has moved into Europe and then eastward into eastern Europe and western Russia. A pattern such as this will keep the wind NE-ly flow but with no cool/cold air and the high pressure patterns to the north moving southward across the eastern Med Sea toward Saudi Arabia, the stronger winds can’t and won’t develop.
Ah, but there does seem to be some light at the end of the tunnel. A series of low centers moving eastward across the Med Sea the next few days will allow for some cold air to spread across Europe and could reach as far south/east as the Red Sea and eventually the NW Arabian Sea. If the low centers and cold air move southward then the NE flow across the Arabian Sea should begin to increase.
Nope, portions of the South China sea have had plenty of NE wind this winter season as the strong high cells over eastern China have been forcing alot of cold air southward and strong NE winds across the South China Sea and the western Pacific Ocean.
There is one area this season that really hasn’t experienced the seasonal increase in winds due to the cold air moving southward and that area is the Arabian Sea.
The Arabian Sea typically experiences increasing NE-ly winds during this time of the and it last as long as the cold air to the north pushes southward, but this year, the winds are NE-ly but there hasn’t been a real good, strong “seasonal NE Monsoon” in this region so far. Oh sure, there are pockets of increased winds if you believe the reports from every weather reporting ship. Satellite data shows the pattern has been fairly consistent at force 4-5 for the last few weeks and one has to wonder, how long will it take for this conditions to increase.
Pirate activity in this area is benefiting from the lack of strong NE winds. The strong NE winds that typically reach force 7-8 in this region will be strong enough that pirates won’t venture out in their smaller vessels. So far, with the winds closer to force 4-5 the pirate season continues. Now these winds will eventually get there and last for a period of time, maybe a few weeks, but before you know it the NE winds will ease and the gradual transition into the SW monsoon will take place.
Part of the reason for the lack of strong winds is the movement of storms further to the north. The cold air across Europe hasn’t really surged southward across the Med Sea toward Saudi Arabia. Most of the cold air has moved into Europe and then eastward into eastern Europe and western Russia. A pattern such as this will keep the wind NE-ly flow but with no cool/cold air and the high pressure patterns to the north moving southward across the eastern Med Sea toward Saudi Arabia, the stronger winds can’t and won’t develop.
Ah, but there does seem to be some light at the end of the tunnel. A series of low centers moving eastward across the Med Sea the next few days will allow for some cold air to spread across Europe and could reach as far south/east as the Red Sea and eventually the NW Arabian Sea. If the low centers and cold air move southward then the NE flow across the Arabian Sea should begin to increase.