We had a bit of rain yesterday however at this point it looks like we’ll end up about 1.6” behind for the month and about 1” behind for the year. The snowpack is still a problem with no relief in sight. So no rain this weekend or next, just a light shower on Wednesday.
WVYC is doing some innovative things for Southern Straits, especially with the ORC Scoring based on actual windspeeds. They are also to be saluted for having the stones to correct faulty PHRF-NW ratings. At least someone is doing something to try and help PHRF-NW and they can get it done in a fraction of the time.
Conditions will be relatively mild over the weekend. There will be some strong onshore flow down the Strait of JdF after that pesky low we’ve had off the coast drifts south and joins a slightly stronger system that will bring more valley rain and mountain snow to California.
The upper-level charts still have the jet stream coming ashore south of San Francisco and that will keep temps in the Salish Sea a little cool, which is fine as that will help preserve what snowpack we have.
Breezes over the central and south Sound will remain light over the weekend except for some spillover from the Straits that will occur Saturday afternoon and into Sunday morning. The Strait of Georgia will see some NW breeze Saturday afternoon and that will fill into the north part of the San Juan Islands before easing on Sunday.
Especially this time of the year it’s always a good idea to check the actual windspeeds before you head out and keep a log of those so you can spot potential issues before you leave the dock.
Have a great 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)