Santa Ana like winds

Yesterday,  warm, dry downslope winds began to increase forcing originally cold air to flow downslope. In the Rockies, downslope winds during winter can cause snow to disappear owing to their heat and dryness.  They are called "Chinooks" or "snow-eaters".   Here we should call them "awning eaters" or "tarp chewers" as they wreak havoc on our trailer park outdoor community.

The mountains at a higher elevation versus our trailer park at sea level. The air flowing down, similar to the Santa Anas winds, is subsiding. When air descends, it is compressed, and its temperature rises. Dry air warms on descent at a rate of 10C/km. You don't need to change the altitude of air very much to alter its temperature significantly.

At night, the winds merge with the land breeze blowing from land to sea and strengthen because the  land cools more than the ocean due to differences in the heat capacity and because there is no competing sea breeze.  There was a lot of activity around midnight with people taking down their gazebos, awnings, tables, etc.  I saw something white sliding by me on our patio, stomped on it, and it was our front tire cover.  A corner of our white plastic table got a chip out of it when the wind tried to flip it over our patio wall.  Our friends had some damage to tarps and palapas.  There are a lot of branches on the ground and a lot of leaf sweeping going on.  Not bad though.

Afternoon walk into town

The winds subsided today and we put our awning and gazebo back up.  We went up the hill for lunch then picked up friends in Guayabitos and brought them to the park for the afternoon.  It was a lovely day with a nearly calm ocean.