can catabatic winds have a big effect on ground effect if the two are in encounted?
It’s not a silly question, but it’s (I think) a point of confusion. “Catabatic winds” refer to the flow of air caused by temperature changes as the sun moves across the sky. Typically the day begins calm and cool, and the sun rises in the sky to the east. As the sun shines on eastward-facing slopes, the ground begins to heat up and warms the air next to it. As that air warms, it begins to flow uphill when it’s heated enough to overcome inertia and any atmospheric inversion that’s present. On launch, we begin to see the flags fluttering a bit and feel a breeze blowing up the hill. As the day progresses the sun moves higher in the sky and begins to warm up westward-facing slopes too. On a warm summer day, you may have air flowing up all sides of the mountain like a huge chimney. As the heating is cumulative, you may find that some slopes are going to produce generally stronger lift….typically the westward-facing ones, which get full sun exposure during the hottest part of the day in mi
