Weather Archive for Wednesday, 5/22/02

We were hoping for better.  But the lift was weak and small.  The altitudes were limited.

Pilots got to 4K at the R&R around 11:30, but midday, most were reporting thermal tops around 27.  It started to get better later, and the observations show a falling barometer.  I started getting back above 3 along Castle ridge and the Castle Points.

There was some north wind left over, and it took awhile to block.  It was blowing down stiff at night with Montecito reporting gust to 45 and the Tejon Pass was blowing 70.  The Rock and The Bypass were both convecting up around 10:30.  The Skyport was mostly down before 11, but turned steady up.  The Brotherhood was about 10 to 12 from the north before the switch.  Despite wind at the mid-channel buoy and SBA later in the day, the ocean was flat in close and off to the east.  Carpinteria had light SE.

Most of the glides had some light drift from the north.  The wind wasn't much once airborne, but with the weak lift, even a little drift the wrong direction would kill a climb.

The lift was good down low out front.  A few thermals tracked up the spines, but many would drift away from the hill or out into the canyon.