Our coolish spring is over and with near record temps today, you can expect more of the same (almost) for tomorrow and Mom’s Day. Cooling on Monday with the approach of a weakening front and maybe some very light rain. Speaking of rain, it’s only the 10th of May and we are already over ½” below average. As we’ve been saying, expect a warm and dry summer.
Today’s surface chart, sat pic and 500MB analysis give us the reasons for our weather today. The 500MB chart shows the jet stream as far north as it has been since last fall with the jet stream coming ashore in SE Alaska. It also shows the Pacific High is beginning to intrude into the upper atmosphere. The surface analysis chart shows what was a weak high-pressure system off of our coast gradually gaining strength and starting to hold its own against the fronts coming out of the Gulf of Alaska. The heat over our area has also produced a thermally induced trough of low pressure that while currently over the coast will gradually drift inland over the weekend. The sat pic for today shows a crystal-clear day for the area, which should hold for the weekend. In addition to Mom’s Day, we will also experience the strongest (as in severe) geomagnetic storm we’ve had in 20 years. This means that with the clear sky we could have quite a visit from the Northern Lights. It will help if you’re in an area with low light pollution. This could be very cool.
About the wind, starting tomorrow morning the South Sound will once again be light. The San Juan Islands will have a nice NW breeze of 10-15 knots flowing down from the Strait of Georgia. The East end of the Strait of JdF will be light. The Central and North Sound will have a nice northerly of about 10 knots. By midday, this will remain pretty much the same except for the Central and North Sound where the northerly will build slightly over the day. For the Vashon Island Race, the question will be how long will it take for the northerly to fill down past Pt. Robinson and into the South Sound. It will eventually but it could be interesting getting around the South End of Vashon. The northerly should be solidly in place by mid to late afternoon, even in Colvos.
Enjoy the weekend but use sunblock early and often, you’ll need it!
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)