Caernarfon is windier than Western Isles and Argyle

Halo

Halo

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I have mentioned this on PBO side and had some replies implying I am wrong. I admit this does seem counterintuitive but my own experience is of a lot of strong gusts and winds in that area.

In fact the official figures show that Caernarfonshire is the 4th windiest area of the uk whilst Western Isles and Argyle are 5th and. 6th respectively - see met office link below

https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/learning/wind/windiest-place-in-uk

Am I right or am I wrong?

Martin
 
Not sure of the relevance as presumably Caernarfonshire includes wind measurements at the top of Snowdon.
But the met office map is interesting.
 
Yes, looking more carefully at the shaded map it does seem to be dominated by the hill peaks, rather than coastal areas.

This is the only way that places like “Inverness” would make it on the list - perhaps includes the Cairngorm areas
 
Halo said:
In fact the official figures show that Caernarfonshire is the 4th windiest area of the uk whilst Western Isles and Argyle are 5th and. 6th respectively
Click to expand...

Sailed all three. Kept boat in Argyll for two years. No windier than anywhere else overall...
 
I suspect that the Caernarfonshire (Gwynedd?) figure is based upon the location of the measurement. Wind speeds at Aberdaron are often quoted by the BBC when storms arrive, several times in the past week, but the measurements are actually made on the top of the headland overlooking Bardsey island. I have been up there many times and it always feels windier there than it does at sea level. I assume they also take Caernarfon Airport measurements into account, but that lies on the low plain close to Caernarfon Bar, where SW winds funnel between Anglesey and the Llyn peninsula and continue onwards up Menai Strait
 
dunedin said:
Yes, looking more carefully at the shaded map it does seem to be dominated by the hill peaks, rather than coastal areas.

This is the only way that places like “Inverness” would make it on the list - perhaps includes the Cairngorm areas
Click to expand...

I was going to contest the 'Inverness' mention, as I live 'downwind' from it, and had thought that the strong winds gust straight down the Great Glen, which on the map, appears quite benign! That's me tellt!
 
vyv_cox said:
I suspect that the Caernarfonshire (Gwynedd?) figure is based upon the location of the measurement. Wind speeds at Aberdaron are often quoted by the BBC when storms arrive, several times in the past week, but the measurements are actually made on the top of the headland overlooking Bardsey island. I have been up there many times and it always feels windier there than it does at sea level. I assume they also take Caernarfon Airport measurements into account, but that lies on the low plain close to Caernarfon Bar, where SW winds funnel between Anglesey and the Llyn peninsula and continue onwards up Menai Strait
Click to expand...

I once stood up to measure the wind at Aberdaron........and found myself back in Pwlheli....;)

Tim
 
Halo said:
I have mentioned this on PBO side and had some replies implying I am wrong. I admit this does seem counterintuitive but my own experience is of a lot of strong gusts and winds in that area.

In fact the official figures show that Caernarfonshire is the 4th windiest area of the uk whilst Western Isles and Argyle are 5th and. 6th respectively - see met office link below

https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/learning/wind/windiest-place-in-uk

Am I right or am I wrong?

Martin
Click to expand...

I don't think we can say whether your experience is right or wrong. However, statistical measures might be explored to see whether places around Caernarfon are windier on average than places in Argyll?

For instance, the Natural Energy website here: http://www.naturalenergyuk.co.uk/windspeed/ suggests Caernarfon quayside has an average of about 5m/s at 10m up; whereas Oban boasts 5.6m/s at Dunstaffnage and 4.7m/s at the marinas nearer the town (sheltered behind Kerrera of course). However, going out into the Western Isles to say Iona lifts the mean to over 7m/s, while exposed Aberdaron offers figures under 7m/s near to sea level (rising to over 7 m/s on the hills above as another post has suggested).

So I don't see much statistical evidence so far to support the hypothesis that Gwynedd is windier near to sea level than Argyll and the W Isles?
 
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Aberdaron's wind speeds always seem anomalously high. I've queried it on the forum before but I'm unsure whether it's accurate.
 
From 1973 to 1983 I lived in Tolsta Chaolais near Carloway on the west side of the Isle of Lewis. From 1983 to 2008 I lived in Tomatin, just off the A9 16 miles south of Inverness, and from 2008 to present time I live in Mynytho, 500 feet above Abersoch, 9.2 miles in a straight line from Aberdaron on the Lleyn Peninsula.
Believe me when I say that nothing compares to the Hebridean winds in both wind strengths, at least three times in those 10 years it was well in excess of 100 mph and that has to be experienced to be believed ( tiles ripped off the roof like flicking a pack of cards and it sounds very similar!), and in hours of continual "blowing". In fact waking up in the morning to hear no wind noise was an unusual and a notable occurrence. The other Monday we had an Aberdaron peak of 90mph and I can quite believe that was very close to accurate.
I must admit to being quite suprised by the statistics.
Mike
 
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