Conflicting air masses cause seasonal strife

Perhaps you've noticed that we have had substantial winds during the last several weeks. On February 1 the wind in Rochester gusted to 71 mph from the west and on March 9 the peak wind gust in Rochester reached 70 mph from the southwest. In fact, this is often a windy time of year as the reluctant-to-leave winter air masses start duking it out with the burgeoning spring air masses from the south. Such conflict usually brews high winds which are mother nature's way of reducing this seasonal strife. Today a look at what you, the law professional, needs to know about winds. When dealing with cases resulting from wind-related damages or injuries there are several basic terms that will appear in the Local Climatological Data (LCD) with which you should be familiar. First, the wind is always reported in the direction from where it is blowing (i.e. a north wind blows from the north toward the south). Second, the wind speed represents the speed averaged over a given interval of time, usually one minute. (Note that some data is reported in knots with one knot equaling 1.2 miles per hour.) Third, the peak wind represents the highest sustained wind in a one minute interval during the course of the day. Last, the gust refers to the highest instantaneous wind speed. An analysis of strong winds in Rochester shows that they are not unique to winter storms, thunderstorms or tornadoes, but can occur on "fair" days following or preceding intense storms. But in most cases, the strongest winds in our area usually blow from the southwest or west and typically occur when strengthening storm systems pass just to the north and west. When a forensic meteorologist is retained to examine a site where strong winds allegedly resulted in injuries or damages, an historic review of winds in an area in conjunction with topographic information can prove instructive. The local terrain plays a major role in affecting surface winds. While strong winds can come from any direction, there is a strong correlation between the highest winds and local topography. For example, between Rochester and Buffalo the strongest winds blow from the west and southwest. This is due to: (1) the orientation of Lake Erie which helps funnel the winds along the smooth, southwest-northeast oriented water surface; and (2) the relatively flat smooth land in that particular corridor. In Ithaca, the strongest winds blow from the south and from the north due to the north-south oriented Cayuga Valley. In Burlington, the strongest winds blow from the south due to the City's location on the north end of the Champlain Valley. Based on the wind history of an area, one can deduce from a regional meteorological review, if conditions would produce the general wind pattern that could then be locally enhanced and driven by terrain. An array of meteorological products is available to assess actual wind conditions. In Western New York, several new 24-hour reporting stations have been added to the primary National Weather Service network. Now joining the regular reporting stations in Rochester, Buffalo, Niagara Falls, Jamestown, Elmira and Ithaca are: Penn Yan, Dansville, Dunkirk and Fulton. Additionally, Coast Guard data remains available from stations in Rochester and Buffalo. Volunteer weather spotters who work with the National Weather Service and television stations such as WHEC- TV10 have proven very useful in supplementing the data. I have found this information very helpful in reconstructing wind history in the more remote parts of Western New York. Kevin Williams is president of WeatherTrack Inc., which provides a lawyer specific website: www.forensicmeteorology.com. He is also director of meteorology at WHEC-TV channel 10, WHAM and WVOR.

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