A true sailor must know all the “tricks” to interpret the signs that nature gives us when the weather is about to change (for the better or for the worse, it makes no difference). In two installments, we reveal them all to you….
PREDICT THE WEATHER
Having understood the dynamics of movement of the main winds acting on the Italian seas, let us move for a moment to land, or rather to port, to see how it is possible by observing precisely the succession of air currents on the water to understand with a good approximation the weather conditions that are about to occur.
When clouds such as cirrus or cirrostratus (these are those found in the upper layers of the atmosphere) arrive from the O or NO direction and, at the same time, the wind is blowing from the S and still the barometer drops, we know that a warm air front is about to approach.
The effects on weather are that of the onset of rain on land and steady wave growth at sea. As the closest part of the warm air front (and at the same time the clouds) passes over the ground, much more intense precipitation begins, while the wind rotates clockwise from S to SO and W, and the sea does not have too high waves.
Between the passage of this warm front and the passage of the next cold front, the wind always strengthens toward the W, while the descent of the barometer completely stops, which in fact soon begins to rise again, accompanied by a decrease in temperature.
Then the cold air front arrives in full force, and over the sea the wind strengthens even more from the NW, and we are faced with very violent gusts of wind and still well elevated waves with pure intermittent precipitation. In the next phase, the atmospheric depression has now passed, and the winds are turning N-NE but decreasing in intensity. At the same time, the sky returns to clear and serene, while the temperature also begins to slowly rise and the humidity decreases.
This diagram naturally shows in a very concise way the succession of sea-front weather conditions, and you can always keep it in mind as a yardstick for understanding what kind of weather you are up against and what kind is coming.
HERE IS THE LINK TO THE FIRST EPISODE (GETTING TO KNOW THE PREVAILING WINDS IN OUR SEAS)
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