We did get a trace of rain yesterday and the temps did cool down to unseasonably cool. Don’t worry it’s going to be great weather this weekend and back to warmish Monday and Tuesday.
The Pacific High, while still weak (1034mb and weakening), is providing us some protection from the lows and attached frontal systems coming across the North Pacific. This is helping to keep the snowpack intact and the lakes and rivers at good levels. What will be interesting to watch is to see just how far to the east the Pacific High will move over the next three days. This will help the folks sailing back from Pacific Cup and Vic Maui. It looks like Zvi and Rage will make it back by Sunday. They will be sailing in some nice breeze from the NW-NNW as they approach the coast.
As the sat pic and surface analysis charts show today we have high pressure over us and this will keep a weak onshore flow (Mother Nature’s air conditioning) in place well into next week. So while temps may approach 90F during the day, it will cool at night.
With weak onshore flow, we’ll have generally light air over the area, perfect for hydroplane racing, and not so good for sailboat racing. The breeze in Admiralty Inlet and the Central Sound will tend to pick up from the NW in the afternoon before easing after midnight.
Stay hydrated, use lots of sunblock, and remember that the water in the Sound and the lakes is still very cool so cold water shock and hypothermia can still be issues.
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)