While the Midwest is experiencing record high temps and a complete lack of snow, the NWS has issued a Blizzard Warning for the summit of Mauna Kea where a foot of new snow is expected combined with winds of over 100-knots! In the meanwhile, Seattle is now ahead of the average rainfall for this date by over 5”. No Climate Change going on in any of these places.
December 3 500 MB 
December 3 Surface Analysis 
December 4 Surface Forecast 
December 5 500 MB 
December 5 Surface Forecast 
December 6 Surface Forecast 
December 7 500 MB 
December 7 Surface Forecast
Today’s surface analysis chart shows a series of weak high-pressure systems over the Pacific Northwest with more low-pressure systems headed our way. This weak high-pressure system has given us northerly breezes over most of the Sound for the last 30 hours and with 15-22-knots of breeze, today would have been a perfect day for the Winter Vashon Race even with a wind chill of freezing. As we know, the first days of high pressure are the best days for wind. By tomorrow, however, this will all change as another weak low-pressure system approaches the Oregon coast. While it is weak, it will still be strong enough to influence our weather tomorrow morning before an offshore high rebuilds in the afternoon. As always, the models are not in agreement about the timing of this transition.
The wind in the starting area will start as a southerly of about 10-knots before it starts to die and become a drainage easterly of 5-knots or less. Gradually a northerly flow will develop over the Salish Sea starting at about 10-knots and then building to 15-18 knots by mid to late afternoon. This northerly will hold until about sundown when it will start to ease and shift back to a weak drainage easterly before going very light. Try to finish before about 1800 hrs.
Navigators and tacticians will be a busy bunch trying to figure out the best way to manage the transition zones. You’ll need to keep your head out of the boat and watch the guys who really know their way around the South Sound.
Be careful and stay warm out there! Please leave your AIS on and we’ll be watching from just above Brace Point.
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)