Ed. Note: Due to technical difficulties we were unable to post this until now (Saturday night). KH
You’d have to say that it was a pretty nice week in the Pacific NW and that will all change this weekend. This will start as weak onshore flow will begin today to be followed by a weak frontal system tonight and into Saturday. This will keep the pressure gradient weak and result in light wind over the Salish Sea for most of Saturday.
Sunday will be a completely different story as a much stronger front will come through the area. Plenty of breeze over the area and with frontal passage a strong onshore flow will develop in the Strait of JdF. This onshore flow will begin to ease on Monday.
Today’s charts show quite a different picture from last week where we had a strong high pressure(1041mb)off of California. That has weakened to 1030mb and shifted slightly to the west. The 500mb charts show a strong zonal flow over the Pacific which will continue to bring storm systems right into the Pacific NW.
The other feature to note is the remains of a cut-off low-pressure system off California which will bring rain into LA and some snow into the Sierra Nevada’s. All of which is needed.
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)