Blowing in the wind

“I can’t change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails…”

Jimmy Dean

We welcome days at Aldinga that are still and not too warm. Our family refers to them as beach days. No matter how little wind there has been during the day, nearly every warm evening will be accompanied by not insignificant gusts of breeze, just as the sun goes down. A clever pilot friend introduced us to the term Katabatic wind. Katabatic comes from the Greek meaning descending. As temperatures drop air rushes down the slopes of elevated land masses towards the sea. The evening air coming down the Mt Lofty Ranges is often referred to as the gully breezes. Specifically named Katabatic winds around the world are the Bora in the Adriatic, Santa Ana in Southern California and the Barber in Southern New Zealand. Most are little more than cool breezes, but some are at hurricane level. Nearly all of the ferocious winds in Antarctica are due to the Katabatic effect. #coollessonguy #letsmakelemonade