So here’s the weather forecast on the morning of our departure date:
The North Pacific High is stationary at 30N 145W, building slightly and only on June 18 starts to shift slightly to the North. There’s some nasty weather passing through the North, the chain of gales will be pounding Thomas’ surfing friends up in the Pacific Northwest, but all this is way out of our way and of no major concern. In our direction of travel there is a retreating warm front, slowly occluding and being pulled up North by a wicked low making its way westward , but having to squeeze around a High just off the Oregon Coast. A slight headache causing upper level trough is crossing our intended pass, but should be out of the way by the time we pass under it. You can see it spawning a shallow low over the Southern Californian Coast in the 500MB forecast for June 18. The 500MB charts depict the howling winds of the jet streams, which push the surface weather we earthlings suffer around and about and it’s windy meanders seem to be involved in the forming of low pressure systems, which every mariner dreads.
To sum it all up: Not ideal conditions, but no major concerns in the foreseeable future. Of course, what’s beyond the foreseeable is rarely part of our decision making process and so, I guess the major factor here is: It’s time to go and has been for some time. If only the press would get here…
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