As usual, this November is providing us with some very interesting weather. In keeping with atmospheric norms, it is going to be a pretty wet month. So far, we’ve had 4.62” of rain while the average is 4.12” which puts our total for the year at 33.71” compared to 29.69” for an average year, so we are still 4” ahead for the year. And it’s only the 20th of November with plenty of rain still to come.
Today’s satellite picture and surface analysis chart show that weak high pressure just off the central Oregon coast as well as a beautifully defined low-pressure system (1014mb) with an attached frontal system in the Pacific just to the west of San Francisco.
November 20 500 mb 
November 20 Surface Analysis 
November 21 Suface Forecast 
November 22 500 mb 
November 22 Surface Forecast 
November 23 Surface Forecast 
November 24 500 mb 
November 24 Surface Forecast
As we go into the weekend we should have a nice day tomorrow with little to no rain and maybe even a sun break or two. This will be the nicest day of the weekend as you see the next series of systems that are lining up to come into the Salish Sea courtesy of the jet stream which is very zonal and steering these systems right at us.
For boaters, this will mean light air on Saturday however after midnight Saturday the breeze will become a pre-frontal southeasterly (12-18 knots) that will persist through Sunday. This will also mean more rain for the area and maybe more snow in the mountains.
This pattern will continue through the coming week with a chance of a break on Turkey Day. The perfect time for a quick trip to the boat to check mooring lines and fenders as this pattern will continue to bring strong southerlies into the area.
Enjoy the weekend, stay safe, and have a great Thanksgiving even if it is a somewhat reduced gathering. As long as I can remember, I don’t think I’ve ever had a Thanksgiving with just two people. That is however the plan for this year!
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)