We caught a break on the 4th however more unsettled weather is heading our way. The usual pattern of cloudy overcast in the morning with some partial clearing as the air heats up and the overcast burns off. This morning in the eastern Strait of JdF we had light fog as the overcast was right down to the water and the air temp was within one degree of the dew point.
This morning’s surface analysis shows the reason for this with three (3) low pressure centers running from just east of Seattle to Queen Charlotte Sound providing a trough of low pressure that extends well into SE Alaska. Offshore, our weak Pacific High (1020-1027MB) continues to refuse to stabilize or strengthen. As a result, this is allowing weak low pressure systems(993-1010MB) to come almost directly across the Pacific and into the Pacific NW. Then we have today’s tropical analysis which shows a monsoonal trough extending from Panama to almost 135⁰W. Along this trough we have Hurricane Barbara being trailed by no less than four (4) tropical waves any one of which could become tropical cyclones because the water temp is within one (1) degree of the 80⁰F threshold necessary for cyclone development. Needless to say, the TransPac wx geeks are going to be watching this.
July 5 500 MB 
5 July Surface Analysis 
5 July Tropical Analysis 
6 July Surface Forecast 
7 July Surface Forecast 
9 July Surface Forecast
The other interesting chart for today is the 500MB chart of the North Pacific which shows not one but THREE (3) cutoff lows over the upper central Pacific which are contributing to our unseasonably cool weather.
For our area, we should have some clearing which will allow onshore flow to develop in the Strait of JdF bringing with it Small Craft Advisories late this afternoon and into the evening. After that, we will have another fairly benign weekend. By late Saturday afternoon another weak frontal system will pass over the Salish Sea. Behind that front another weak ridge of high pressure will built along the coast however there are two more low pressure systems which will come into the area bringing, hopefully, some rain.
Have a great weekend!
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)