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WEATHER
AND SAILING
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Temperature inversions lead to complex and perhaps turbulent wind patterns around the island and these depend on the height of the inversion layer. The swirl in the picture to the right is an eddy caused by the topography of the island on a low inversion layer. Alan explained this complex phenomenon with some nice slides of flow round stones in a rivers.
Light winds and sea breezes are a feature of the summer
He ended with a slide of the beautiful
noctilucent clouds; high in the atmosphere they are lit by the sun during
the night.
Summary by Geoff Meggitt and Carol Sparkes
Alan reminded delegates that the Irish Sea is a home to big tides and strong currents. It supports storm surges when sea levels can rise more than 1.5m above normal - as shown in the chart to the left.
In addition, there is through the year a complex and continuously evolving pattern of surface water temperature. Alan showed charts for this throughout the year. The one to the right is just one of these - for August - which shows the influence of water from rivers. It is this complexity which produces the convection fog - a feature of the area.
The weather can generally be characterised by the airstreams affecting the area:
NNWly, NNEly and unstable SWly airstreams bring narrow bands of showers with sunshine elsewhere
SSWlys in summer bring thunderstorms from Spain - invigorated overnight over the Irish Sea
SElys bring low cloud and perhaps the celebrated smoke haze from UK/European industry with vis 3-4M as in the satellite photo to the left
Elys gives steady winds
NWly "blow stronger for longer"Polar lows funnelling down Irish Sea can give snow
Storm surge
February 2002
Height cm above normal