A sea breeze is a mesoscale front produced by the contrast between the relatively cooler water of the ocean and the relatively warmer land surface during the day. The sea breeze is most pronounced in the afternoon when the temperature difference between ocean and land is at its greatest. A sea breeze can have a similar impact as a cold front since it brings in cooler air and storms can develop on its boundary. Sea breezes are common in summer in a location such as Florida which is surrounded by water on three sides. The sea breeze is found in coastal area and they can move several miles inland during the day. A sea breeze can bring in a refreshing change in the weather. The lifting from the boundary tends to increase cloud cover and the chance for thunderstorms. The cooler air is denser, thus the surrounding hot air will lift over the sea breeze boundary. A faster moving and more pronounced sea breeze will tend to produce more convergence and storms. The cooling from the sea breeze is more pronounced when precipitation occurs since the evaporation will cool the air even more. The opposite of the sea breeze is the land breeze. At night, the land cools more than the ocean thus the land breeze will push cooler air over the ocean. The land breeze tends to be weaker than the sea breeze and the land breeze does not tend to generate thunderstorms. Thus, the sea breeze is typically more talked about. |