Sea breeze can locally reach what wind speed on the coast of Washington, Oregon, and California?

Sea breeze can locally reach what wind speed on the coast of Washington, Oregon, and California?

• A. 20-30 mph
• B. 5-10 mph
• C. 40-50 mph
• D. 0-5 mph

Answer: (A)

Sea breeze is generated when land warms up faster than the adjacent sea, causing air over land to rise and a cooler, higher-pressure air from the sea to move toward the coast to replace it. On the Washington, Oregon, and California coasts, this onshore flow often strengthens during the warm, sunny afternoons, and coastal terrain (mountains, valleys, and gaps) can funnel and accelerate the movement of air. The result is a local wind that can reach about twenty to thirty miles per hour in many cases. At night or during less intense heating, the gradient weakens and winds are much lighter, sometimes near calm. So, the typical local sea breeze speed in that region is in the twenty-to-thirty mph range.

Sea breeze is generated when land warms up faster than the adjacent sea, causing air over land to rise and a cooler, higher-pressure air from the sea to move toward the coast to replace it. On the Washington, Oregon, and California coasts, this onshore flow often strengthens during the warm, sunny afternoons, and coastal terrain (mountains, valleys, and gaps) can funnel and accelerate the movement of air. The result is a local wind that can reach about twenty to thirty miles per hour in many cases. At night or during less intense heating, the gradient weakens and winds are much lighter, sometimes near calm. So, the typical local sea breeze speed in that region is in the twenty-to-thirty mph range.