OCEANIC LOWS GIVE US WIND

Two separate areas of low
pressure in the Atlantic are helping to give us windy weather. Gust's to gale force have occurred in the offshore water's and a satellite fly-over measured winds at 50 kts or 58 mph near the northern low. The QuickSCAT satellite can compute the winds speed based by measuring the water's surface roughness. Wind barbs point in the direction the wind is flowing with the tail or flag pointed in the direction the wind is coming from. A flag represents 50 kts and one full barb is 10 kts. A half barb is five knots.

The increase in wind is due to the areas of low pressure combining with high pressure over New England. Air is squeezed between the two pressure systems resulting in high wind. The MRF model run shows the wind turning north over Jacksonville and then west Friday as the low moves into South Carolina. The second low can be tracked as it moves away from Hispaniola and heads north between Bermuda and the east coast. This second low will move into New England this weekend which will result in locally lighter winds here Saturday and Sunday.