seasons
>>>Predominant summertime winds are side-to-onshore South-Southwesterly. Usually a Southwest wind means wind-chopped surf...OK for kiteboarders, but not so great for surfers. Most other wind directions are uncommon, but do happen and are usually associated with passing fronts, thunderstorms, or light morning winds.

>>>August is well known to have few ‘nice’ windy days.

>>> Strong cold fronts are common in late fall, winter and early spring. They may produce strong, gusty offshore North and Westerly winds, but also bring Northeast winds that kick up the stronger surf and allow for decent side-to-onshore wave-riding.

>>>Offshore hurricanes in late summer / fall can also bring great swells to local beaches. Typically providing epic wave-riding conditions. However, they can also back off thermals and create some of the worst wind conditions. Charleston kiters must depend on strong fronts to generate sustainable winds. Several weeks without good wind is typical late August to early November.

general guidlines
>>>Rain & clouds usually kill a SW, but power a NE.

>>> Predicting wind is tricky…a lot of our kiteable wind comes in unpredicted spurts and thermals that may only last a couple of hours and then immediately shut off.

>>>When the water reaches a certain temperature during the early Spring, late Fall, and throughout Winter, SouthWest winds have a hard time reaching the beaches. It is not uncommon for the offshore forecasts to predict 20-25knots of SouthWest wind in conjunction with a warm front (ie thermal) and weather system. If the weather system is particularly strong and not accompanied by a lot of moisture, you may actually have that much wind at the beach.

>>>More often, the SouthWest wind brings up the Southern moisture from Florida, as well as the warmer (and welcomed) temperatures. At the right time of the year this just feeds the thermals and makes for some great ocean kiting. Other times (like the early Spring, late Fall, and Winter), the cold water causes a large layer of moisture to develop along the beaches. This layer of moisture seems to block the onshore South to SouthWest wind and turns a 20-25 knot beach forecast into a 10 knot day at best.

>>>For long range frontal forecasts, follow the frontal boundaries and isobars. But there are a lot of days that happen based more on local weather, rather than large area fronts (i.e., thermals or the lack thereof).

>>>The NOAA modeled offshore forecast is good enough for predicting offshore conditions that may impact our local shores (what we use for the modeled wind forecast). The downside is that local forecasters usually predict the winds higher than they typically turn out to be, but not always (that’s usually when everyone is standing around on the beach without their gear, scratching their heads, or rushing home to get it).

>>>A good rule to use 90% of the time is to pay closest attention to the Charleston harbor forecast and pilot buoy discussions (what we use for predicted wind forecast).

>>>A hot day in March with predicted SW 20kt 0-20 miles out likely means the coastal regions will only see a big haze, unless the SW are backed by a significant frontal boundary. Likewise, if you see a predicted SW 20kts 0-20 miles out during the summer, and a strong chance of thunderstorms are predicted throughout the day, your window for wind is likely to be very small (hmmm sounds like August).

locations
>>>The barrier islands provide a variety of flying spots for any wind direction. Low tide sandbars create flat water with Atlantic swell breaks on the outside. Primo spots are accessible only by boat (see our Kite Safaris).

>>>You can kite in Charleston from any wind direction, provided you are not adamant about strictly staying in the surf.

>>>If you stand on most Charleston beaches facing the ocean, you are most likely facing directly Southeast. Therefore, kiteboarding is best in Southwest to Northeast winds. However, there are a few locations that still allow time in the waves during a side-off Westerly wind. And with a little patience & experience, some spots are during a typically gusty North-NorthEast.