The data collection period of interest for this study was Jan 1,1996 through December 31, 1997. Data were acquired data from many agencies and more than 200 gigabytes of meteorological data from more than 50 measurement sites were processed. Extensive analyses of these data were conducted, numerous derived meteorological parameters were calculated, and graphical products and maps created. A software system was developed to access and display raw data, analysis results, and graphical products. Conditions are infrequently punctuated in all seasons by frontal passage.
Tropical storms occur infrequently, most often in fall.
Winds are strongest in the winter, and lighter and more variable in the summer. Winds are generally from the east, yet progressively turn from southerly in the summer to northeasterly in the winter. Surface air temperatures follow expected season patterns. Variability in vorticity is larger in the winter, possibly due to the larger frequency of transient systems moving through the area, while it is least variable in the summer with the establishment of constant and stationary high-pressure systems. Wind stress curl follows the vorticity patterns since the two are directly related.