Misdirection on Seasonal Winds

[XLFD]

An early September windstorm in 2010 seems to have dictated an odd policy in Ludington that has been followed ever since: installation of the snow/sand fence starting the Monday after Labor Day. In a Facebook post the City of Ludington rationalized the policy in its header:

"Sand fence will begin to go up on Monday September 9th. You will still be able to access the beach even after the fence goes up. The fence helps to keep the sand where we love it...on the beach(or as close to it as possible). The winds of fall are upon us and this necessary step keeps from having a large clean up bill and an impassible Lakeshore drive."

The post includes the same link used by the City over the last few years to explain their decision to put the fencing up at this time, including some generalizations about the wind and the seasons:

"During a typical fall it's rainy and windy... We do understand your concerns and frustrations when it comes to covering our beautiful beach with ugly sand fence. It signals the end of summer and the end to what most people consider the best time of the year. Each year we have to make that decision as to when we will start the sand fence installation and that is a decision that we don't take lightly."

The majority of respondents to the post are understanding and sympathetic and appreciate the gesture, since the City of Ludington appears to be trying to do its best to have an appealing park and not having to spend big bucks on wind cleanup.

But like the June flooding in 2008, what would you say if I told you the early September windstorm in 2010 was a very rare occurrence. And unlike the flood damage that racked the area in 2008, the City was amply forewarned of strong winds coming to town and much of what happened at Stearn's Beach could have prevented by emergency mobilization of fencing-- but it would have had to take place before or during the busy Labor Day holiday weekend.

And what if I told you that there is a lot more likelihood of a freak windstorm in June than there is in the month of September in Ludington. Would you consider the City prudent for keeping sand fence up through June then? Here's the facts based on historical weather conditions, the first statistics show that September is one of the mildest months for wind in Ludington, even when you include the anomaly of September 2010 in the mix. The following graph follows a nine year sequence of yearly observations at local Station LDTM4 (Ludington, MI):

September loses out to only August and July for the lowest average wind speeds (the black dot within the red variances). June follows, and lest we forget, the summer solstice falls on June 21. The two are close, but further on in that same wind comparison site for Ludington, they have wind observations, directions and speeds, for five years, which includes that very windy September in 2010. Most enlightening is the wind class (speed) frequency bar graph. It shows that in June of these years the wind class fell between 0-10 knots: 81.9 %, between 10-20 knots: 16.8% and 20-30 knots: 1.3%

During that same period, September was milder in all classes at 82.8%, 16% and 1.2%, respectively, even with 2010 as part of the data, as seen below. Is anybody from the City suggesting we leave the snow fence in place through June since the statistics show we should have more devastating wind effects in that month than September?

And just in case you think I'm cherry-picking data from years that support my thesis, which would be odd since the freak 2010 September windstorm is included in both presented cases, this climate website shows the all-time averages for monthly weather phenomena in Ludington, which verifies that from June through the end of September, the average wind speed each month is 6 mph. It also shows that the month of May (at 8 mph) has greater average wind speeds than October (at 7 mph). Yet the City of Ludington begins removing the sand fences before the end of May.

Lastly when we look at the Average monthly wind speeds for cities in the Great Lakes region over the period of recorded weather history, we find that the pattern is true for other places than Ludington. Average wind speeds in Chicago, Cleveland and Detroit are at least 10 mph in May, 9 mph or better in June, but in September, these cities average less than 9 mph.

Yet nobody from the City ever suggests that we keep snow fence up through May and June, just that we put them up in a month that has lighter winds and smaller chances of having a devastating windstorm. The 'fall' month of September which has three weeks of summer, which is more than June can say with its three weeks of blustery spring and ten days of summer. 

The misdirection by the City is obvious, they want you to believe the fencing is put up in September because of winds, but the reason is more because the DPW would rather put up and take down fences on a set schedule rather than putting them up on a schedule directed by Mother Nature.  The rewards of potentially extending a second tourist season past Labor Day, or just allowing the natives to enjoy their park after the summer bustle, is offset by the nuisance that they may have to quickly mobilize forces to prepare for an upcoming windstorm.   

As it currently stands, we have snow fence up at Stearns Park nearly 70% of the year, put up and taken down a week before and after peak tourist season between holiday weekends.  We can do better than that and protect ourselves from most every windstorm that may hit the beach, even during tourist season by having a strong reactive approach rather than a misguided proactive approach that has fence up 250 days every year.  

[shinblind]

I don't wish to encourage them. How long do you think a permanent-posted reactive fence will last before it becomes a masonry wall tall enough to discourage jumping over with a toll booth at the entrance of Stearn's Outer Drive?

Since this was already discussed by the city, they would then be able to make the beach a pay to play setting for both vehicles and  pedestrians. 

[Willy]

Sept. 6 2010 was also the date there was a drowning off the north lighthouse breakwater. A young man was swept off the pier next to the lighthouse. Below is a photo of the Coast Guard boat searching for his body while fighting heavy seas as it passes the south breakwater light.

[XLFD]

Recall that was a tourist originally from India named Anupam Bhattacharjee, a 26-year-old Wayne State University graduate student, washed in the lake by a large wave on the north breakwall as he was walking with two friends on it.

[Willy]

i can't remember who it was but I do remember taking photos when he was washed off the pier. I shot photos from the time he fell in and while his friends tried to find him and pull him out until he disappeared under the water. The fishing boat that tried to rescue him before the Coast Guard showed up was almost smashed against the rocks by the waves. Sad day.

[Willy]

Found a photo of Stearns Park and beach with the grassy area separating the parking area from the sand.