Tehuantepecer
Encyclopedia
Tehuantepecer is a violent mountain-gap wind
traveling along Chivela Pass
. It originates in the Bay of Campeche
as a northerly wind which crosses the isthmus and blows through the gap between the Mexican and Guatemalan mountains. The synoptic condition is associated with high forming in Sierra Madre
. The wind reaches 20–40kt and on occasions 100kt. The outflow may form rope cloud over the Gulf of Tehuantepec
. These winds can be observed on satellite pictures such as scatterometer winds measurements, they influence waves, propagating as swell and sometimes observed 1000 miles away (e.g., in Galapagos Islands
). These strong winds bring cooler sub-surface waters and may last 4–7 days.
Mountain-gap wind
A mountain-gap wind, gap wind or gap flow is a local wind blowing through a gap between mountains.Gap winds are low-level winds and can be associated with strong winds of 20-40 knots and on occasion exceeding 50 knots...
traveling along Chivela Pass
Chivela Pass
The Chivela Pass is a narrow mountain pass in the Sierra Madre Mountains that funnels cooler drier air from the North American continent, through southern Mexico, into the Pacific...
. It originates in the Bay of Campeche
Bay of Campeche
The Bay of Campeche is the southern bight of the Gulf of Mexico. It is surrounded on three sides by the Mexican states of Campeche, Tabasco and Veracruz. It was named by Francisco Hernández de Córdoba and Antonio de Alaminos during their expedition in 1517...
as a northerly wind which crosses the isthmus and blows through the gap between the Mexican and Guatemalan mountains. The synoptic condition is associated with high forming in Sierra Madre
Sierra Madre
Sierra Madre may refer to one of several mountain ranges:*In Mexico:**Sierra Madre Occidental, a mountain range in northwestern Mexico and southern Arizona...
. The wind reaches 20–40kt and on occasions 100kt. The outflow may form rope cloud over the Gulf of Tehuantepec
Gulf of Tehuantepec
Gulf of Tehuantepec is a large body of water on the Pacific coast of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, southeastern Mexico, at . Most of the hurricanes that form in the Eastern Pacific organize in or near this body of water...
. These winds can be observed on satellite pictures such as scatterometer winds measurements, they influence waves, propagating as swell and sometimes observed 1000 miles away (e.g., in Galapagos Islands
Galápagos Islands
The Galápagos Islands are an archipelago of volcanic islands distributed around the equator in the Pacific Ocean, west of continental Ecuador, of which they are a part.The Galápagos Islands and its surrounding waters form an Ecuadorian province, a national park, and a...
). These strong winds bring cooler sub-surface waters and may last 4–7 days.