We were on the Isle of Skye and visited the amazing rock pinnacles of Trotternish, including the Old Man of Storr. We were caught in a shower when the photographs were taken and sheltered behind a rock because the wind was driving the rain in. I looked up to see which way the clouds were moving and noticed that they were moving in the opposite direction to the rain. The wind seemed to be going in the opposite direction higher up. I wondered if this was evidence for coastal convection that I remember learning about at school. The sun heats the land faster than the sea during the day because the sea has a much higher specific heat capacity. The land becomes hotter than the sea, so warm air rises over the land and cold air sinks over the sea. This sets up a cycle that is completed by air moving off the sea onto land at ground level and off the land out to sea at a higher level. This was roughly what I observed.
