Tucson News NowWeather 101: Ocean Breeze

Ocean breezes in summer can be the firing line for heavy rain.

Along the Gulf of Mexico coastline in the south-central United States, the land heats rapidly during daylight hours.

As the land heats, the air above it heats.

Hot air is light and buoyant, so it rises.

Something has to replace the hot air that has rises.

Cooler, moist air moves inland from the ocean.

The boundary between the hot, drier air over land and the moist, cooler ocean air is where thunderstorms form on hot afternoons.

The series of images below illustrate the development of storms along the Ocean Breeze.