Ed. Note: This is exciting. Bruce Hedrick’s weather observations and predictions have been a big hit with sailboat racers, so he’s going to tackle our weather on a regular basis, for the whole region. And, as you’ll see from his first “Brief,” weather from far afield as well.
Here’s the thing. Not only will Bruce provide a snapshot of our region’s weather, he’ll also answer questions. Don’t be shy, let’s try to stump him. Send your challenge here.
Here, then, is the first (shall we say) airing of “Bruce’s Briefs.”
What a great summer it has been, unfortunately the sig’s are there that it’s coming to a close. The leaves are starting to turn which actually started a while ago and the squirrels have been particularly active. The good news is that when you look at Mt. Rainier and Mt Baker they both still have lots of snow on their slopes. Fires are still a potential problem hence all the more reason to get out on your boat this weekend.
Storm Force Wind Speed Probabilities for Tropical Storm Odile, from NOAA.n For 4 days from 1100 PDT Sept 12 to 1100 PDT Wed. September 17.
You’ve heard about the red flag warnings, low humidity, high temps during the day and low temps at night which is the result of a high pressure system that has remained parked on the other side of the Cascade’s. That has been responsible for the beautiful weather and northerlies on the waters that have a distinct northeasterly component. As this high breaks down and moves to the east we’ll begin to get more onshore flow and cooler temps during the day. This will also bring the wind speeds on the inland waters down so mariners can expect 5-15 knots from the NNE with slightly higher speeds in the afternoon hours, with the breeze dropping as the sun sinks in the west.
What’s really interesting and bears watching, especially if you have a condo anywhere in Baja California Sur and maybe as far north as say about Cedros Island on the outside and Isla Tiburon on the Sea of Cortez, and that is hurricane Odile which at this point looks like it will pass to the west of Baja California but still close enough to inflict some major damage to that area.
Enjoy what could possibly be the last great weekend of the summer. Remember that a week from this coming Monday is the Autumnal Equinox. There are two equinoxes every year – in September and March – when the sun shines directly on the equator and the length of day and night is nearly equal.
This year it will occur at 7:29 PM PDT and that will be the official end of summer.
