Offshore-Onshore

[Luv2play]

You say Offshore, I say Onshore. During the recent Santa Barbara fires, US meteorologists and reporters consistently referred to winds coming in from the ocean as "offshore" whereas their Canadian counterparts were calling them "onshore". For those of us watching events unfold on Canadian media, the juxtaposition was confusing.

 

Watching CBC one day, they had a hookup with a local reporter from Santa Barbara who reported "offshore" winds as helping to quell the blaze. Their Canadian counterpart then referred to the same winds as "onshore" in the next sentence. I believe the Canadians had it right.

 

Today I read in the New York Times (Sunday) that an "onshore" breeze had blanketed Santa Barbara in a cool moist blanket of air from the Pacific Ocean. I have always regarded the NYTimes as the authoritative voice on such matters. All last week CNN and other US media referred to these winds as "offshore", including the cute Rob Marciano, the weatherman on CNN. I think these people need to brush up on their weather terms.

[MsGuy]

Neat observation, Luv2play. I suspect that the phrase "offshore winds" gained currency among California news guys from their coverage of offshore wind turbines and they are now misusing the term. Just my best guess. Now if only I could remember in which direction an "easterly" wind blows.

[+ ArVaGuy]

An offshore wind blows from the land toward the sea.

 

http://www.answers.com/topic/offshore-wind

 

An onshore wind blows from the sea toward the land.

 

http://www.answers.com/topic/onshore-wind

 

Also, the news channels get their information directly from the National Weather Service. So if they are making any errors on which wind is which its coming from the Weather Service. However, I don't think that's the case.

 

Winds move in either directiction simultaneously and which ever is the stronger force is going to affect how those fires move. But I'm no meterologist so I'm making a big guess here.

[KMEM]

Most NWS reports need to be "translated" for the public. In the last several years they have started putting out information geared for what they call mass distribution. Still, it can be full of jargon and technical terms, much like aviation can.

 

The local weather guessers do have strong tendencies to "massage" the local reports for their audience. We have a local guesser who is a licenced meteorologist who constantly tries to be slightly different from the others and "pinpoint" his forecast. When the NWS says the high today will be between 75 and 80 and most of the other locals say a high near 80, he will say it will be 79 at 3 PM. For those of us who keep count, he is invariably specifically wrong, even though generally he is as correct as the others. Nonetheless his viewers love him; he is telegenic and has been doing this for a long time. I suppose most people don't care so long as it doesn't rain all day when the forecast was for sunny and mild.

 

Best regards,

KMEM

[SoCal]

Well the NWS and NOAA have in SoCal have it right, some reporters may have misquoted.

 

The "offshore" winds (out of the North/Northeasterly), also locally known in Santa Barbara as "sundowners' blows from land to sea, are generated by higher pressure inland and lower pressure offshore, and can blow mighty hard. The famous Santa Ana winds - also a great threat to our fire safety here in SoCal - are also offshore winds.

 

The onshore is our prevailing wind direction here in SoCal for the most part (out of the West/Northwesterly). High pressure off the coast pushes in winds and the "marine layer" which is the low clouds, sometimes fog, and cooler temperatures that firemen love!

 

The offshore winds like sundowners and Santa Anas can also wreak havoc on the coastal waters and offshore islands if they are strong enough. Calm anchorages at the Channel Islands can turn into dangerously unsafe anchorages with huge waves coming in and breaking into the coves.

 

I've been sailing the waters between San Diego and Santa Barbara for the last 40 years or so - so barring any typos - I'm pretty confident in my summary above.

[Guest zipperzone]

All last week CNN and other US media referred to these winds as "offshore", including the cute Rob Marciano, the weatherman on CNN. I think these people need to brush up on their weather terms.

 

 

There is no way Rob can be wrong. If he says it - it's got to be true. When he told me he was dumping Anderson Cooper to marry me, I believed every word of it. Still waiting for the ring though......