Gap Winds

» biogardener - Great

Have you ever written an article on wind tunnels in the city? I am always watching the flags at the Portage & Main intersection in Winnipeg. The street is very spacious with 7 lanes and a boulevard on Portage Avenue and 6 lanes and a boulevard on Main Street.

It looks so strange to see flags blowing in every direction rather than having them all going in the same direction. If anyone painted a picture of it, he would be accused of not being scientifically correct.

That intersection is possibly Canada's best-known one. It is the beginning of North America's longest street, Portage Avenue. It starts about 50 miles east of the centre of the continuent and continues along the #1 Trans-Canada Highway all the way through Regina, Calgary, and Vancouver right to the Pacific Ocean. I find its beginning the most fascinating, because of the wind tunnels created by the high buildings surrounding it.

-- posted by biogardener

» weather_doctor - Re: Great

I haven't yet written a regular article on urban winds, though it was once part of my Applied Climatology class notes. I worked for a few years for an engineering firm that looked on street canyon winds and potential ones for architects.

Actually toweatherwiserwise, such a painting would not seem unusual. I have even seen photographs of vertical layering with smoke plumes going three different directions.

Toronto's wind tunnel can also get quite bad when winds blow off the lake. Chicago's reputation as the windy city is likely due to the same factors, though the moniker has an interesting history which I discuss on my "The Weather Doctor" site.

I'll add the topic of urban winds to my list of future "Science of the Sky" articles. Thanks for your interest.

-- posted by weather_doctor