Variations in the daily cycle of winds along the east coast of the Gulf of Mexico

Precipitation in the summertime North American Monsoon (NAM) has a strong diurnal signal which is not well-forecast. It is likely that the daily cycle of precipitation over the western Sierra Madres is both altered by and reflected in the daily cycle of winds along the Gulf of California (GoC). During the North American Monsoon Experiment (NAME) 2004 field campaign, four wind profilers were deployed along the east coast of the GoC, from Estacíon Obispo near the mouth of the GoC to Puerto Peñasco at its northern end. The collected high-resolution data are used to document longitudinal differences in the daily cycle along the GoC, as well as variations in time. The results may be compared with the daily cycle of precipitation over the region.