Bruce’s Briefs: Wx for 26, 27, 28 and 29 July Broken record, Summery Tune

This is beginning to sound like a broken record. A weak high-pressure system offshore, located south of its “normal” position with an upper level low with an attached and very weak frontal system approaching the coast. As this front approaches the coast, it will encounter the coastal buffer zone and break apart but only after bringing some clouds and maybe some very light rain early tomorrow morning after which we will resume our lovely summer. A much nicer summer than sweltering in the eastern US or Europe where new high temperature records smashed the old ones yesterday. Imagine 108⁰ F in Paris, a city with very little air conditioning.

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The surface analysis chart and satellite picture for today provide a very clear overview of what we have going for us. The other interesting chart is the 500MB for today and the 30^th of July which show a persistent upper level low off the upper BC coast. That, combined with two cutoff low pressure systems in the central and western Pacific, explains the Surface forecast chart for the 30^th of July which shows an unprecedented number of low pressure systems lined up across the Pacific. In fact, this looks way more like a winter picture than a summer scheme with eight low-pressure centers and only two high-pressure centers. The main difference between now and the winter is that all of these lows are relatively weak.

So just like the last couple of weeks there will be a weak onshore flow that will bring a westerly flow down the Straits with stronger breeze in the late afternoons and into the early evenings before easing after midnight. The rest of the Salish Sea will, for the most part, see light air with the possibility of stronger breeze in the Central Sound in the same time frame as the Straits.

Enjoy the weekend and be safe out there.