The rising air accumulates aloft forming an area of higher pressure (5). This rising air forms a weak low-pressure area (4). This denser air undercuts the lighter, warmer air over the water (2) forcing it up into the atmosphere (3).
Gravity's downward pull moves air downhill spilling it onto the water (1). However, unlike the sea breeze, the land breeze is often much weaker.Īt night, the land temperature falls to below that of the ocean resulting in an increase in the air's density. They are most common during the fall and winter seasons when water temperatures are still fairly warm and nights are cool. Land breezes can occur when the land's nighttime temperature is less than the sea surface temperature. Despite the difference in times at which the land breezes and sea breezes occur, the reason for the land breeze's formation is basically the same as the sea breeze, but the role of the ocean and land is reversed. While sea breezes occur during the day, land breezes occur at night. The opposite of a sea breeze is a land breeze. In these situations, two lines of thunderstorms may collide and combine into a single but intense, short-lived line. On smaller peninsulas, such as at the northern tip of New Zealand, sea breezes from opposite coasts may collide. With prevailing east winds, they actually help push the sea breeze front and thunderstorms as much as half way across the peninsula.
Stronger west winds can prevent the sea breeze front from moving onshore or forming at all, so no thunderstorms will occur. Light west wind (5-10 mph) keeps the sea breeze front confined to the eastern coast but also makes for more widespread thunderstorms along the boundary.
If the wind is relatively calm then the sea breeze can move well inland but with only scattered thunderstorms occurring about 1/3rd of the way across the peninsula. For example, in Florida the amount of sunshine and prevailing surface wind over the state has a large impact on sea breeze thunderstorms. The location and number of thunderstorms will vary depending on the overall weather pattern over the region. Just like along cold fronts, if weather conditions are right, thunderstorms often develop along sea breeze fronts. However, if there are larger scale atmospheric conditions also affecting the weather, then the sea breeze and sea breeze front can have a much larger impact on the type and intensity of weather one observes. These changes occur in a relatively small scale weather-wise. Opposing sea breezes meeting over Cuba forming a line of cumulus clouds. While the sea breeze is generally associated with the ocean, they can occur along the shore of any large body of water such as the Great Lakes. This enhances high pressure near the ocean's surface (7) and the whole process repeats as land flowing air pushes the sea breeze front further inland. Once over water again, the air cools, increases in density and sinks toward the earth's surface (6). At this level the air pressure and density, being greater than the same elevation over the water, causes air to flow back over water (5). Typically, this occurs from 3,000 to 5,000 feet (1,000 to 1,500 meters) in elevation. This cooling means the density increases again forming a small area of high pressure (4). Over land, air forced up by the sea breeze front will begin to cool. Finally, there can be a significant change in wind direction and/or speed. Another change that takes place with the passage of the sea breeze front is an increase in humidity. The skies also clear after the sea breeze front pass by. This boundary, called a sea breeze front, acts in the same manner as the cold front we typically experience.įor example, the air temperature drops significantly after the sea breeze front passes a location, sometimes as much as 15-20 ☏ (8-11 ☌). A sharp boundary develops due to the large difference between the air temperature over land and over water. This inland push of air from the ocean undercuts the less dense air over land forcing it to rise (3).
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