America's Cup wind system predicts ash cloud to remain until weekend

by Richard Gladwell on 19 Apr 2010
An analysis undertaken by Sail-World using the the wind prediction software www.predictwind.com!PredictWind in conjunction with the www.iexpedition.org!Expedition_Lite package shows that the continuing Icelandic volcanic ash cloud will probably remain over Europe until the weekend.

Using a new feature (still under test for PredictWind) the wind prediction system shows a strong wind system developing in the weekend to blow the ash cloud away from England and Europe.

Until then, although stronger winds are forecast for a period, from a northerly direction, over the next day or two, these winds could just funnel the cloud down the eastern coast of England and over northern Europe.

However an advancing pressure system advances from the North Atlantic later in the week bringing easterly winds to the Icelandic coast of over 30kts. This system should be enough to move the volcanic ash cloud away from Europe and shoot the particulate over the Atlantic Ocean

The latest travel advisories can be found by http://www.nats.co.uk!clicking_here it would seem that ahead of the change in wind direction and strength that the emissions from the Icelandic eruption are reducing.

The PredictWind application was used by the Swiss team Alinghi to win the 2003 and 2007 America's Cups, and has become the leading wind system used by racing and recreational sailors around the world. It is available on a subscription basis. Expedition is a routing system used by racing and cruising sailors for offshore and oceanic course optimsation. The application uses feeds such as that from Predictwind to provide very accurate information to sailors.

For the first time the new PredictWind system will offer ExpeditionLite as part of the package, making it easy for sailors to access the very best information available.

Predictions are normally for a five to seven day window, but are more accurate in the shorter term as the movement of weather systems becomes more certain.

The PredictWind system uses colour coding to show windstrength, along with the usual windbarbs. The strength of wind is white for light winds going through mauve to green (15kts) yellow and red (25kts). The barb system uses bars extending from the wind line, with each bar indicating 10kts (and half a bar 5kts).

The isobars are shown in the usual way, and in these series of images shot at 24 hour intervals the progress of a low pressure system can be tracked across the Atlantic towards the Icelandic coast. Winds over England and Europe remain light during the later part of the week. It is not known what effect these will have on the volcanic cloud.

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