Friction between the atmosphere and the Earth's surface causes a 20% reduction in the wind at the surface of the Earth.[10] Surface roughness also leads to significant variation of wind speeds. Over land, winds maximize at hill or mountain crests, while sheltering leads to lower wind speeds in valleys and lee slopes.[11] Compared to over water, maximum sustained winds over land average 8% lower.[12] More specifically, over a city or rough terrain, the wind gradient effect could cause a reduction of 40% to 50% of the geostrophic wind speed aloft; while over open water or ice, the reduction is between 10% and 30%.[8][13][14]
Steve is going on a trip soon, and will be visiting various geographical sites while site seeing. He is looking to fly a kite on one of his trips, which will require a good spot with a lot of wind, and on another day, he hopes to have a nice serene picnic, with a calm atmosphere and not so much wind gusting about. On Monday, he will go to Heaven's Valley, and on Tuesday he will be visiting Mount Smith.
Will Steve be more likely or less likely to has his picnic on Tuesday than Monday?