Brief Communication: Synoptic-scale differences between Sundowner and Santa Ana wind regimes in the Santa Ynez Mountains, California

Hatchett, Benjamin J.; Smith, Craig M.; Nauslar, Nicholas J.; Kaplan, Michael L.

doi:10.5194/nhess-18-419-2018

i

Brief Communication: Synoptic-scale differences between Sundowner and Santa Ana wind regimes in the Santa Ynez Mountains, California

Supporting Files Public Domain

2018
By Hatchett, Benjamin J. ; Smith, Craig M. ; Nauslar, Nicholas J. ; ...

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Journal Title:

Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences
Personal Author:

Hatchett, Benjamin J. ; Smith, Craig M. ; Nauslar, Nicholas J. ; Kaplan, Michael L.
NOAA Program & Office:

NWS (National Weather Service) ; SPC (Storm Prediction Center) ; CIMMS (Cooperative Institute for Mesoscale Meteorological Studies)
Description:

Downslope Sundowner winds in southern California's Santa Ynez Mountains favor wildfire growth. To explore differences between Sundowners and Santa Ana winds (SAWs), we use surface observations from 1979 to 2014 to develop a climatology of extreme Sundowner days. The climatology was compared to an existing SAW index from 1979 to 2012. Sundowner (SAW) occurrence peaks in late spring (winter). SAWs demonstrate amplified 500 hPa geopotential heights over western North America and anomalous positive inland mean sea-level pressures. Sundowner-only conditions display zonal 500 hPa flow and negative inland sea-level pressure anomalies. A low-level northerly coastal jet is present during Sundowners but not SAWs.
Keywords:

Climatology Winds
Source:

Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences, 18(2), 419-427
DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-18-419-2018
Document Type:

Journal Article
Place as Subject:

Santa Ynez Mountains (Calif.)
License:

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Rights Information:

CC BY
Compliance:

Library
Main Document Checksum:

urn:sha256:ecbd7187beeb3bc0636ea57c262ef56eb9bfdaa855dab89c12d49604284ec588
Download URL:

https://repository.library.noaa.gov/view/noaa/51603/noaa_51603_DS1.pdf
File Type:

[PDF - 5.13 MB ]

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