Plus need a last minute gift for the boater in your crowd? Go to the bottom of this update. *
As my friend Brandon Baker at Elliott Bay Marina reminded me last week, “It is that time of the year!” No, this is not a duplicate of last week, we simply have yet another strong system coming ashore tomorrow.
It’s not often you get so many colors in the Weather Advisory from the NWS but yesterday’s was particularly colorful and that is usually not a sign of good weather.
Note especially the deep purple for the coast and the eastern end of the Straits. It’s not for a gale warning, it’s a storm warning, one step below hurricane. So while this won’t be as strong as last Friday it will be right up there. Here’s why; note in the current surf analysis the print right off of our coast, the part that says developing storm. The low just below that may be only 1004MB however it is going to strengthen as it comes on shore.
The chart for today shows why this system will bear watching.
Our innocuous 1004MB low has become a 984MB storm that is now very tightly wound and headed right into central Vancouver Island with an attached cold front extending almost all the way to the Hawaiian Islands. It is moving very quickly and once it hits the coastal buffer zone it will weaken as it moves inland. The other part is that with the current jet stream we have a classic Pineapple Express that will bring plenty of rain and a rising freezing level. That combination can cause low land flooding as our minimal snow back degrades in the rising temps.
So if it’s not going to be as severe as last Friday and I properly secured my vessel, what’s the problem? First off, it may not be that severe but it’s going to be close. Second, in all jostling your vessel has been through, remember that chafe is a relentless enemy and works 24-hours a day on those mooring lines. Remember also that those fenders can be bounced up and on to the dock so those need to be checked as well.
The timeline for this system (done yesterday) is roughly as follows, again, this is not precise so prepare in advance!
*I have said recently that the weather is getting interesting however I never thought that would include a tornado in Port Orchard. However, just in time for the Holiday Season, if you need a last minute gift for the boater on your list I would highly recommend the latest edition of Modern Marine Weather by David Burch. I stopped by Starpath in Ballard the other to pick up this book and I must say that is the best work on marine weather I have seen. It is very up to date, very complete, easy to read and understand, and you should probably have a copy at home as well as on the boat. You still have time to pick one up at the Starpath Shop in Ballard at 3050 NW 63rd Street or you can order it online at www.starpathpublications.com. Highly recommended.
Bruce has raced and cruised the Pacific Northwest his entire life. He earned a Bachelor’s of Science from the University of Washington in Biological Oceanography and learned meteorology “to keep from getting kicked around on the race course.” Bruce spent nearly two decades as Associate Publisher for Northwest Yachting Magazine, retiring in mid-2015, and was the chairman of the board of trustees for the Northwest Marine Trade Association in 2014. (photo of Bruce driving Playstation is a bit dated, but cool)