What influences mallorca winds (and other balearics)?

[Richard10002]

The met Office surface pressure shows a big high with big gaps between the isobars, yet there is wind, (SE to E'ly F5+ in Palma Bay for most of today).

I know the Gulf of Lyon isnt far away, and onshore breezes occur in the afternoon, (I think), but all the forecasts for the next 3 days suggest a steady 10knot Easterly.

Any ideas?

Never understood weather and forecasting really <g>

 

[Guest]

First look at the wind scale on the side of the weather chart. As you go south you get more wind for a given isobar distance. The angle of the wind to the isobar also changes.

Then I suggest you go to the shop and buy the famous walking book of the island. Then take the walk up by Soller that leaves you on the top of the 3000ft peak with views of the island. If you are not into that then just take the train. You will notice that it is very flat other than a 2 huge ridges of mountains. The wind does not have much choice about its direction! Palma is below the end of the ridge.

You have to factor in the local mountains when looking at wind arrows from weather models.

Tuesday you will be at the centre of a low pressure area. By Thursday the gulf will be blowing from the north as the finger of high pressure pushes in over France.

 

[davidbains]

WX fcsts in the med are a complete minefield.
Local effects are very important and can completely reverse or greatly enhance any pressure gradient.
For your next trip from Mallorca to Sardinia it is important to avoid a Mistral unless you want an alarming very wet trip. I presume you are receiving Navtex from Toulon. I found the French gave earlier warning of bad weather than the Italians.
Some say the best time to set off is soon after a previous Mistral. In settled weather light winds can be from almost any direction and usually die at dusk.
There are many internet sources but the fcsts are usually computer generated and are only a guide.

 

[Paulka]

According to the INM (spanish Met Office), there is a high NW of the islands, and a low over North Africa.
Logicaly, this induces an easterly wind over most of the western basin of the Med.
In the bay of Palma, the winds are mostly thermal winds generated by the "Pla" (the plain running from Palma airport to Alcudia), and channeled by the "Tramontana" (the mountains along the NW coast of the island).
Of course, this "Embat" (thermal wind) is stronger, the hotter the temperature on the "Pla" is.
Usually, the "Embat" starts around mid day, and get stronger through the afternoon, to die at sunset.
Those days, we have typical summer winds in the bay : the wind following the coast of the bay from Cabo Blanco to Arenal, and to Palma. The wind along the west coast of the bay usually follow the general pressure pattern, thus easterly, or southeasterly.
Getting out of the bay of Palma, you'll met the "normal" wind conditions.
If you want to go east, start early morning, or you may meet pretty strong head winds from Cabo Regana till Cabo Salinas.
Enjoy your navigation.

 

[Richard10002]

[ QUOTE ]

For your next trip from Mallorca to Sardinia it is important to avoid a Mistral unless you want an alarming very wet trip.

[/ QUOTE ]

Our plan is to leave Porto Colom and head for Southern Sardinia - about 55 hours at 5 knots.

Cant tell if the mistral remains strong on this route, I presume it does if it has effects all the way to Africa etc..

I'll be watching Toulon closely as the 22nd approaches.

Many Thanks for the heads up.

 

[Richard10002]

[ QUOTE ]
If you want to go east, start early morning, or you may meet pretty strong head winds from Cabo Regana till Cabo Salinas.

[/ QUOTE ]

This place is a mine of informsation. Thanks for the detail.

I'm currently planning to leave Illetas at around 6am Tuesday morning, to get to Colom around 2pm.

Hopefully, I wont have had to resort to the Pot noodles by then.

Might take a run ashore via the "private" beach, and see if there are any shops around.

Thanks again.

 

[jimbaerselman]

If you're heading for southern Sardinia, the Mistral is a pretty thin influence. You'll find it's best extension in the straits between Sardinia and Corsica, and off the north cape of Corsica.

The point made in an earlier post about the fact that in southern latitudes big winds can be created with very slack gradients of the isobars is very important in Med forecasting. It makes forecasting in the area less predictable. Thin cloud cover, or even haze, can delay the onset of thermal winds one day, and another, the seas warm a little, and a rampant low develops out of nowhere.

But the big seasonal winds are predictable. The monsoon has just settled in, so there's seriously low pressure east of Turkey, and the Azores high has ventured into the West Med, so in Finikounda we've just has a couple of days of magnificent windsurfing winds (horror for those travelling west) and now that stuff has shifted to the Aegean, so Tinos and Andros are being blasted out of existence with a rather stronger meltemi than average

Browse through the Poseidon website http://www.poseidon.ncmr.gr/weather_forecast.html and look at some of the 1200 UTC forecasts to see the fun down there. Note the strong loca effects caused by the interference of the islnds with the wind patterns. No wonder area forecasting is difficult in the Med.