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Weather For Yachtmaster Day Skipper Course
Weather For Yachtmaster Day Skipper Course
The Weather.?
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At sea
BBC radio Coastguard VHF Metfax to PC Navtex Barometer Observation Mobile phone
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Se Iceland Faeroes
Viking
Bailey
Fair Isle
German Bight
n Ty
Shannon
Fastnet
Sole
Plymouth
Biscay
www.metoffice.com/education/curriculum/leaflets/shipping.html
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Shipping forecast
The shipping forecast issued by the Met Office, on behalf of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, on Monday 04 February 2008 at 1130 There are warnings of gales in Viking, North Utsire, South Utsire, Forties, Cromarty, Tyne, Dogger, Fisher, German Bight, Humber, Thames, Dover, Wight, Portland, Plymouth, Biscay, FitzRoy, Sole, Lundy, Fastnet, Irish Sea, Shannon, Rockall, Malin, Hebrides, Bailey, Fair Isle, Faeroes The General synopsis at 0600 Complex low Rockall 965 expected Faeroes 972 by 0600 tomorrow. Atlantic low moving rapidly northeast expected Ireland 977 by same time The area forecasts for the next 24 hours Viking, North Utsire, South Utsire, East Forties Southeasterly 6 to gale 8, occasionally severe gale 9 except east Forties. Very rough or high becoming rough. Rain or showers. Moderate or good West Forties, Cromarty, Forth Southerly 6 or 7, occasionally gale 8 except Forth, becoming cyclonic 5 or 6 later. Moderate or rough. Showers, rain later. Good becoming moderate Tyne, Dogger Southwest backing south 5 to 7, perhaps gale 8 later. Moderate or rough. Showers, rain later. Good becoming moderate Fisher Southeast veering south 6 to gale 8. Rough or very rough. Rain or showers. Moderate or good German Bight, Humber, Thames, Dover South or southwest 5 or 6, increasing 7 or perhaps gale 8 later. Moderate or rough, occasionally very rough later. Showers, rain later. Moderate or good Wight, Portland, Plymouth Southwesterly 5 or 6 increasing 7 or gale 8. Moderate or rough, becoming very rough or high in Portland and Plymouth. Showers, rain for a time. Good, becoming moderate or poor
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Warm air
Cold Front
Warm Front
An occluded front is formed when the faster moving cold front overtakes and merges with the warm front. Typical weather is cloudy, with light rain and poor visibility BUYS-BALLOTS LAW Christoph Buys-Ballot was a 19th century Dutch meteorologist. His Law says that in the Northern Hemisphere, if you stand with your back to the wind, the area of low pressure is to your left and the high to the right. This is useful because lows bring bad weather - cloud, rain and snow - and highs usually bring sun shine and clear skies. It results from the Earth's rotation, which deflects to the right air moving from areas of high pressure to areas of low in the Northern Hemisphere, due to the Coriolis effect. In the Southern Hemisphere, the effect is reversed.
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Description
Light airs Light breeze Gentle breeze Moderate breeze Fresh breeze Strong breeze Near gale Gale Severe gale Storm Violent Storm Hurricane
Ripples. Small wavelets Occasional crests. Frequent white horses
Waves
Moderate waves, many white crests. Large waves, white foam crests. 4m waves. Sea heaps up, spray, breaking waves, foam blows in streaks. Moderately high waves (5.5m), breaking crests. Foam blown in streaks. High waves (7m), spray affects visibility. Dense streaks of foam along the direction of wind; crests of waves begin to topple and roll over. Very high waves (9m) long breaking crests 11m waves Sea covered in foam. Visibility affected. 11m+ waves The air is filled with foam and spray; sea completely white with driving spray; visibility very seriously affected
Wind
Veering - changing direction clockwise Backing - changing direction anticlockwise Cyclonic - rapid changes in direction Direction - where the wind comes from
Pressure Tendency
Steady: < 0.1 mb in 3 hrs Slowly: 0.1 to 1.5 mb in 3 hrs Rising/Falling: 1.6 to 3.5 mb in 3 hrs Quickly: 3.6 - 6.0 mb in 3 hrs Very Rapidly: > 6.0 mb in 3 hrs = Gale
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South Pole
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Wind Origins
NORTH POLE Polar Easterlies Disturbed Westerlies North East Trades Horse Latitudes
High Pressure
Equator
South East Trades Disturbed Westerlies Polar Easterlies
Doldrums
Low Pressure
Horse Latitudes
High Pressure
SOUTH POLE
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Wave
1000 miles
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L
O Z
C S
Wind attempts to blow towards the low pressure but is diverted to the right. (N Hemisphere)
The earth makes one rotation per day, but the linear speed of a stationary object on the surface at the Equator is approximately 900 knots, while closer to the poles the speed of an object on the surface reduces eventually to zero. If an object is propelled northwards from the equator, it is still also travelling east at 900 knots. It arrives at point X before a stationary object starting at A travelling east at a slower speed. It thus appears to be diverted to the RIGHT compared to A-B. This why an air mass which starts as a south wind will become a south west wind, and depressions rotate anticlockwise. In the southern hemisphere, the north bound object starting at C arrives at Z after a stationary object starting at O. It thus appears to be diverted to the LEFT. Thus depressions in the S hemisphere rotate clockwise. The right hand diagram shows a similar effect for objects travelling south. Coriolis affects wind and tides; a north bound current will be deflected to the right in the N hemisphere.
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Geostrophic Wind
West
Wind direction if in equilibrium
Geostrophic Wind
Pressure Gradient force
East
1000 mb
Coriolis effect
1012 mb
1016 mb
Wind Air under the influence of both the pressure gradient force and Coriolis force tends to move parallel to isobars in conditions where friction is low (1000 meters above the surface of the Earth) and isobars are straight. Winds of this type are usually called geostrophic winds. Geostrophic winds come about because pressure gradient force and Coriolis force come into balance after the air begins to move
A geostrophic wind flows parallel to the isobars. In this model of wind flow in the Northern Hemisphere, wind begins as a flow of air perpendicular to the isobars (measured in millibars) under the primary influence of the pressure gradient force. As the movement begins, the Coriolis force influences the moving air causing it to deflect to the right of its path. This deflection continues until the pressure gradient force and Coriolis force are opposite and in balance with each other.
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100
84 9
992
76 9 6 8 9
60 9
Cold front
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84 9
Similarly if you measure the isobars along a front you can find the speed of the front.
76 9 6 8 9
60 9
Warm front
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100
84 9
992
76 9 6 8 9
60 9
RAIN
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Cumulus Showers Good visibility (not in showers) Wind veers sharply, increases Pressure rises Cumulonimbus Heavy rain Thunder Squalls
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An Atlantic Depression
wi n
wind
War m
Fro nt
W Se ar Di re ct m ct io or n of
wi nd
ont
Direction of travel of the depression is roughly parallel to isobars in the warm sector The wind direction is roughly parallel to the isobars around the depression, but skewed inwards by the lower pressure
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C ol
d Fr
tr a
ve l
win d
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Satellite Photograph
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Passage of a Depression
1000 Miles
Warm Sector
1:150
Cold Air
Warm Air
rm a
Fr
Cool Air
East
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20,000 ft
nt o
Passage of a Depression
1000 Miles
Warm Sector Cold Front Cold Air
Rising wet warm air cools slowly and moisture condenses = cloud and rain Warm Air
m t on Fr
20,000 ft
Cool Air
Cold dry air forces violent updraughts and rapid cooling = Thunderclouds
ar W
West
East
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Warm Sector
Cirrostratus Altostratus
Cirrus
Warm Air
Stratocumulus Cumulus
Cool Air
East
200 M
300 M
600 M
Sunny, squally Heavy rain, showers thunder, hail Good except in showers Cold Poor in rain
Falls
Rising
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20,000 ft
Nimbostratus Fractostratus
arm W
t ron F
Clouds
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Clouds
Low-level clouds (base 0 - 2 km high) Stratus (S) - extensive, featureless, shallow cloud sheet, can yield drizzle or light rain Stratocumulus (Sc) - shallow cloud sheet, broken into roughly recurring masses of cumulus, may drizzle or snow Cumulus (Cu) - separate, hill-shaped puffy clouds, with level bases. Usually fair, but may bring showers after a cold front. Cumulonimbus (Cb) - very large, high (up to10km) cumulus, with dark bases and anvil shaped top. Can bring thunder, lightning, squalls and heavy rain Medium-level clouds (base 2 - 4 km high) Altocumulus (Ac) - shallow cloud sheet with roughly regular patches or ripples of small rounded clouds. Usually fair weather Altostratus (As) - featureless, thin, translucent cloud sheet. Usually fair weather. Nimbus (Ns) - extensive, very dark cloud sheet, usually yielding precipitation High clouds (base 5 -15 km high): Cirrus (Ci) - streaky, white, feather-like cloud. Indicates an approaching depression Cirrocumulus (Cc) - shallow, more or less regular patches or ripples of cloud. Fair weather. 29
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Passage of a Depression
1000 Miles
Cold Front
Warm Sector
Cumulo nimbus Alto cumulus
Cirrus
Cold Air
Nimbostratus Cumulus
Warm Air
Cumulus
rm t a n W ro F
Cool Air
East
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Arctic Maritime Am
Cold, moist
Polar Continental Pc
Cold, dry
Tropical Maritime Tm
Mild, moist
Tropical Continental Tc
Warm, dry
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ISOBARS
984 992 1000 1008 1016 1024 1032
Low Pressure
High Pressure
ISOBARS FAR APART Gentle pressure gradient Light winds, little cloud
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Low Pressure
High Pressure
Buys Ballot's Law In the Northern Hemisphere, if you stand with your back to the wind, the LOW PRESSURE area is to your left
High Low
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H
Reinforce - more wind
H
Oppose - less wind
2)
4)
High Low Col (Calm)
L
Low
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High
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H
Reinforce - more wind
H
Oppose - less wind
2)
4)
High Low Col (Calm)
L
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High
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1. 2.
3. 4. 5.
Depth of water - waves break in shallows Fetch - the distance over which the wind blows Swell - the wave pattern before the current
weather
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Sea Breezes
Upper return current Cloud curtain High pressure SEA AIR Moist & cool
Sea breezes are caused by unequal heating and cooling of adjacent land and sea surfaces. A sea breeze blows from the sea to the land as a result of this unequal heating. During the day, especially in summer, solar radiation causes the land surface to become warmer than the sea surface. The difference between land and sea surface temperatures rises during the day to a maximum around mid-afternoon. The warmed air rises over the land surface and cool air from the sea is drawn in over the land. The ascending air returns towards the sea. As the suns heating effect increases, the sea breeze gains in strength, and may reach 15 knots (Force 4). A sea breeze in early summer may extend 10 M inland during the afternoon, and under favourable circumstances the sea breeze may penetrate as much as 30M inland. The sea breeze has maritime characteristics such lower temperature and higher humidity. A land breeze develops at night as the land cools relative to the sea and an opposite circulation is set up. The temperature difference is much less than during the day and the breeze strength is much less.
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Fog
Land (Radiation) Fog
Clear nights with little wind
Damp warm air radiates off as the ground cools at night Condensation takes place Fog forms first over valleys, water and damp vegetation
Ground cools
Ground cools
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FOG
Sea (Advection) Fog
Tropical Maritime - warm moist wind blowing over cold sea Air cools and water vapour condenses to form fog
Force 5/6 winds will lift the fog to form low stratus cloud
Cool Sea
Cool Sea
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