winter winds in california
 

hey--
i'm riding in the dead of winter (jan 11 to jan-whenever-we-give-up) from la to sf with a friend. i've read basically everywhere on the net that in summer the prevailing winds are north to south, and as such going sf to la is advisable..

one site about california climate said winter winds along the coast tend to run south to north, so that was encouraging, but it was only one source.

so does anyone know about coastal california winter winds?


x-posted to a few other subforumzzz

I think when a storm comes in it comes from south like the one that is here now, but normally comes from north west , just watch ksbw they show you the wind direction

Do you even know what winter is?

The winds (very) generally run north to south, except when there is a storm coming in. Then they reverse. Usually 12-24 hours before the storm hits.

Along the "central coast", winds are generally from the northwest except for storms and sometimes in the mornings. There is a section that we ride a lot between Ventura and Santa Barbara on the 101 freeway and Pacific Coast Highway, and it is nearly always a headwind.

haha, yeah, i'm from new jersey and go to school in massachusetts

I live in SF and have found that the wind generally runs North->South.

I've lived in both LA and just outside of SF. The wind always blows North to South. The only time I've truly felt it blow the opposite way was super early in the morning on my ride to work, but it wasn't enough wind to concern me. Now the ride home from work...lethal winds! I'd follow (try to follow) my buddy who races for Cal Giant Strawberry on his Transition TT bike and it was still killer.

aw man, for some reason going from sf to la seems really anticlimactic.... grrr. we'd hoped to start in la and hang out in sf for a few days before flying back to boston.

any other thoughts?

Most days the winds aren't very strong. Especially if you start early in the morning.

It will be tougher the closer you are to SF.

I would do it, SF to LA...hek do like the Tour of Cali. Go all the way to San Diego! Do Mt. Hicks, Mt. Hamilton, ride down the PCH through Monterey...it would be great!

And San Diego girls are easy.

:-P

totally kidddding!

we're two awfully (and i mean, really horrendously) out of shape girls with two weeks to do this.. i am skeptical we'd make it all the way to san diego, given that we are bound to get lost, and accidentally eat all our food, and lose all of our repair tools, and stuff...

SF --> LA puts you with the wind and also puts you on the side of the road nearest the coast.

>SF --> LA puts you with the wind and also puts you on the side of the road nearest the coast.<

+1

Be prepared for rain (and the possibility of not being able to see anything of the coastline if it's storming). Also, days will be short (longer than where you are now) and cold in the morning.

No offense, but I would suggest that you not try something of this nature in an area that you're not familiar with especially given that you're skeptical.

It can be done, but you don't dive into something like this unprepared. You have to know your equipment pretty well or you can have a very injury filled and uncomfortable journey.

Sounds like you'd be lucky to make it from SF to LA! I wouldn't try it from south to north. And I wouldn't try it at this time of year unless you really like riding in the rain...

no offense taken :)
we're not actually total cycling n00bs and we know our bikes well.. just have not undertaken an adventure of quite these proportions before. the friend i'm traveling with is from the bay area (although she has only really biked in MA) and we've both got relatives who can drive to bail us out at a moment's notice, pretty much.

sf to la is looking like the wiser choice...

This page showing real time winds in the Bay Area is pretty cool:

http://sfports.wr.usgs.gov/wind/streaklines.shtml

I sometimes use it to decide where I want to ride that day.

Riding the coast in January is hit or miss. If you hit it right, the winds will be light and the temperatures moderate. If you hit it wrong on a storm day, it will be your worst day ever on a bicycle.

Big rain and wind in the Bay Area last night, but the sun just poked its head out. Maybe the day will allow a decent ride, after all.

Edit: If the location of your ride is flexible, I recommend the Winter route we do out of San Diego: Temecula, Palm Desert, Borrego Springs, Julian, Pine Valley. Statistically, that area has the best January weather in the state. Daily itinerary here.

Another Edit: Map of Winds in Southern California