Re: “Offshore Winds
Weathercasters who use this term are not really in touch with how most people conceive of the word, “offshore;” that elsewhere, it means, “situated at some distance from shore, seaward; outside the U.S.;” i.e., out in the ocean.
The terms offshore and onshore winds break the tradition of naming winds from their source area, found worldwide. Rather than calling winds “offshore,” the weather-people would genuinely communicate with a wider audience if they described the E/NE winds in L.A. as “E/NE winds, dry, so remember to drink extra water.” Often on “Santa Ana “days, the whole city has dehydration headaches; so maybe the winds aren’t as “beautiful” as some proclaim.
“Higher highs and lower lows”:
This mnemonic phrase (helping the memory) describes the temperature range of a “continental,” inland influence on weather and climate. When we in L.A. get our winds from the East, they bring dry, desert air; so especially in winter, we’ll get warmer or hotter days and cooler nights. (These are the winds the newscasters confusingly call “offshore.”) The best 2 ways to adapt to this condition are to 1) wear layered clothing, with a cotton or lightweight layer for the hottest part of the day and jacket or sweater for night, and 2) drink a lot of extra water, because body water (sweat) is evaporating so fast from your skin, that most people don’t even realize they’re sweating until acute thirst and a headache set in. Many people worry they’re getting sick, because the fatigue and “wilted” feeling are akin to it. (If you like caffeine drinks to help stay alert, be sure also to drink extra water to replace what the caffeine drains out, the “diuretic” effect).
Land heats up and cools off faster than water does (because of water’s large “heat capacity,” its ability to absorb and retain heat), so continental, inland climates have a greater range of temperatures than coastal, marine ones: “higher highs, and lower lows” of temperature. In L.A., coastal locations are not as hot or cold as inland areas, which are farther from the ocean’s influence on the air.