The Witches Of Leelanau
November Blow At Empire Beach Here they come. Stripping the last autumn leaves from the trees. Blowing the stinging sand around the beach. Whipping the surf into a whitewater frenzy. Hold onto your hat. The Leelanau winds, the 'witches' of November, are back - with a vengeance. But what exactly is this invisible force that so alters the landscape? What is ... wind? The learned ones in science say that it all begins with the sun, which heats the earth unevenly, due to the uneven topography - of mountains, deserts, oceans, etc. The result is cold (high pressure) and warm (low pressure) pockets of air all over the globe. And the rush of air we know as wind is caused by atmospheric gases moving from high to low pressure areas, aka diffusion - nature's way of evening things out. This time of year, diffusion is especially intense in and around Leelanau, as cold Canadian air collides with warm Gulf air over the vast expanse of Lake Michigan.