Kananaskis Valley Winds in Summer

Abstract

Anemograph charts from three stations in a north-south valley were analyzed to find the degree to which average diurnal variations were explainable on the basis of valley wind theory and local topography. Prominent diurnal cycles of the cross-valley component were found in the monthly averages at each station. At one station it was a morning-evening slope-wind cycle; at the other two, a day-night cycle up and down a sub-valley. The component along the main valley showed greater complexity, which is partially attributed to gradient wind interference in the afternoon when convective activity is greatest. The diurnal patterns for a group of selected clear days were similar to, but slightly sharper than, those of the monthly average charts.