Summer Of West Winds...

When I came to NOLA in April of 1978, one thing I noticed once we reached late May into early June was the fronts stopped coming.  I knew from working in Tampa why that happened as the winter jet stream upper pattern retreated and weakened back to the north.  Cold fronts lacked the upper support to drive them into the deep South and the surface Bermuda High/Atlantic Ridge built westward across the southeastern states.  That has not happened this summer as the axis of that ridge has bee suppressed way over the southern Gulf creating weeks of constant west winds.

This summer we have seen a persistent upper trough over the Great Lakes & East Cast that brings frontal boundaries down to the Gulf coast before they stall.  That is keeping the "nose" of the Bermuda high farther south than typical summertime.  

Rotating around the "ring of fire" upper heat dome to our west, disturbances race down from the NE to the SE, a flow opposite of our typical summertime pattern of SE to NW.  It gives us increased clouds and showers keeping us less hot & helping water our lawns & gardens.

I'm posting early as I'm fishing the afternoon falling tide out of Shell Beach with Capt. Hylton.  If storms wash us out, we'll sit on the swing and share some beers  Fnally,

The Grand isle Tarpon Rodeo begins two weeks from Thursday.  New this year is the opportunity to win  cash prizes just for registering.  There will be $1,000 drawings both Thursday and Friday nights with the Grand prize being $ 10,000 drawn after the awards ceremony on Saturday night.  The beauty is you don't have to fish to win.  Live in Chicago, Boston, Bay St. Louis & can't make the Rodeo? No problem.  Go to tarponrodeo.org and enter your email and we'll be in touch to help you enter.  For $45 to register, you could win $10K !!!  Way better odds than playing the lottery.  Register today.  Stay tuned!