It might be a little cold outside, but it is certainly beautiful out on the water. Just enough wind to sail and not enough to make powerboating uncomfortable, plus the usual anchorages are for the most part fairly empty.
Earlier this week we had another bombogenesis event (pressure in the center of the low drops 24MB in 24 hours) that brought a record low pressure reading of 970MB to Crescent City and windspeeds near 95-knots in the peaks of the southern part of the Coast Range. This low with its attached cold front also brought much needed rain and snow to southern California.
Nov 29 500MB 
Nov. 29 Surface Analysis 
Dec. 1 500MB 
Dec. 1 Surface Forecast 
Dec. 2 Surface Forecast 
Dec. 3 500MB 
Dec. 3 Surface Forecast
The charts show a continued presence of high-pressure on the east side of the Cascades which will keep the cold air in place with an offshore flow coming off that high. Another low-pressure system will come into northern California over the next couple of days and with the jet stream and an upper-level low persisting over northern California there is a very slight possibility that we might get some light snow but it certainly last very long.
Next week will be an interesting week as starting on Tuesday we will have a series of low pressure systems take aim at the Salish Sea. Our Coastal buffer zone will continue to weaken these systems but it could be the start of the return to a wetter winter. We’ll see.
Enjoy the 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)