AUSTIN, Texas — Now that summer has arrived, you'll probably hear our weather team reference something called the "sea breeze" during forecasts.
But what is a sea breeze and why does it matter?
Wind is created due to differences in air pressure. You probably already know that warm air rises while cool air sinks. During the day, land heats up faster than the ocean or any other body of water. This is because water has a higher heat capacity. It takes a lot more energy to warm water than it does to warm up land. Water is constantly moving and is able to distribute heat throughout itself. Also, sunlight is able to penetrate further beneath the surface of water compared to land.
Why do these properties matter? Since warm air rises, air above the surface of land will rise faster throughout the day, creating an area of low pressure. This warm air will cool and eventually sink over the ocean surface, creating an area of high pressure. The air located over this area of high pressure will then move inland to try and replace the air that is rising over land.
It is this process which that the sea breeze during the daytime.
During the summer months, the sea breeze intensifies and can act as a lifting mechanism around the peak heating of the day. In Texas, this has a tendency to create showers and storms that move inland from the Gulf of Mexico. Depending on the strength of the breeze, some of these storms can move all the way into Central Texas.
Stay with the KVUE Weather Team throughout the summer months to see these sea breeze showers and storms in action!