Wind Directions

[Jackie Treehorn]

Planning to get some dives in over feb 16-20 in CZM.

The wind direction references have always confused me. Is it winds out of the north or winds that blow to the north?

Windguru has them blowing ^ during that time which I assume is the better direction. But the wind speeds are getting up there.

Would someone mind putting my confusion (at lease with this topic) to rest? Thanks!

 

[northernone]

Wind direction is which direction the wind is blowing FROM.

A North wind is coming from the north.

That said... 4 days out things change fairly substantially, hopefully you'll enjoy some lovely dives.

Cameron

 

[DandyDon]

Strong winds from the north cause the most port closures, but any strong wind can cause problematic waves. Either north or south winds could have miles to build up wave strength, while east or west winds are partially blocked by land.

I see what's got you concerned, but any weather forecasts that far out are very questionable in my opinion. Good luck.

 

[DjDiverDan]

A Norte is a wind blowing OUT OF the North. I think most weather sites (maybe all) report wind direction as the direction from which the wind is blowing. On Cozumel, a wind blowing out of the North, or slightly Northwest, if it is of high enough speed (not sure exactly what that is) will likely result in a closing of the port to dive boats - the seas will get very choppy, with waves high enough to swamp some of the smaller boats and make boat entries very iffy. A wind out of the Northeast, IF there is enough easterly component, will hit the wild side, and the west side of Coz will be largely sheltered and diving will likely be unaffected.

 

[tursiops]

Yes, unfortunately, the meteorological convention is to label the wind in terms of the direction from which it is coming, and the oceanographic convention is to label the current as the direction to which it is flowing. Yes, it has caused some awkward confusion at times. The only way to be clear is to use the words "from" or "to" when describing a wind/current direction. For fun, just tell people that a North wind is blowing to the South.

 

[deepsea21]

Just checked Windguru for your dates. It's projected to be blowing pretty good but generally blowing "from" or "out of" the SE and ESE which is far better than a dreaded Norte. I personally don't see a port closure based on what I see (I could be wrong of course). Diving may be restricted at the southernmost sites with that wind. A few miles north of those southernmost sites where the island provides a natural break wall the water could be glass smooth. Ya just don't know until ya wake up and look out at the water. I certainly wouldn't want to be over in PDC expecting a nice day on the beach with that wind blowing.

 

[WetInPortland]

Think of a weather vane - it points in the direction the wind is coming from.