The Party's Over...And Now It's Windy

Anthony's graduation party was a huge success. Everyone had a great time and stayed to about 10pm. Which is late for our family. It was the coldest day this fall with a low of 55F (12.8C). Luckily, my parents had canopy's up to keep the heat in. The food was great and the margarita's and beer were flowing. But now the party is over and Anthony is stepping into the new world of full time work. Best of luck!

Last night the Santa Ana Winds started up. They usually occur between September and March. The winds come from the dessert causing hot air and really dry weather. They are blowing at 36 mph right now with only 5% humidity. The county is under a fire weather warning and a high winds advisory. I always thought the wind was hot because it was coming from the desert but apparently that is not true. According to the UCLA website, it is because the Great Basin resides (where the wind is blowing from) is at a higher elevation than the LA/Orange County Basin, which is near sea level. Thus, in flowing towards us, the Santa Anas flow DOWNSLOPE. When air descends, it is compressed, and its temperature rises. Dry (unsaturated) air warms on descent at a rate of 10C/km or almost 30F per mile. That means if you take a piece of air located only one mile above your head, and brought it down to your feet, it would wind up 30 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than when it started. You don't need to change the altitude of air very much to alter its temperature significantly. So there you go. For the next few days, everyone in Southern California will be miserable. Hot, dusty, dry air blowing as much as 70 mph. Here is my reason for the Santa Ana Winds. Since very few trees lose their leaves in Autumn, we need high winds to sweep through and blow them off for us. A tough price to pay to make the seasons align with the rest of the country. Well, I'll be on my allergy meds for the next few days and hoping that our Halloween decorations outside don't blow away!