A Stir in the North. Otherwise, Things Remain the Same.

Cape Porpoise Harbor, Maine.

Santa Cruz has been pretty much the same every day for the past week.  Sure, the fog has cleared earlier some days, but every morning begins with the clouds.  Monday was perhaps the best day, with sun on the west side of town by 8AM.  Most days, we wait until late morning, or even early afternoon.  One day, the sun never did come out.  Today and the next should warm up a bit, with highs in the mid 70s.  Otherwise, expect high 60s to 70F for day time highs.  Lows should be in the mid 50s for the coming week.

Lobster Buoys. 

What is of interest is the going ons in the Gulf of Alaska.  We saw a fairly strong trough move through the Gulf and into the Washington coast over the past few days.  While not unheard of for August, this was a strong showing.  And it did result in some cooling in the valley and mountains.  It did not much effect our weather here on the coast except for some wind.  While the usual high pressure is making its rebound starting today, the forecast calls for two strong waves to move through starting as early as Friday.  Again, we will not see much weather change from these systems, as they are much further north than us.  Still, if they develop as modeled, they are interesting.  The first, and stronger of the two, begins setting up in the Bering Sea on Friday, with pressure dropping below 980mb.  That is pretty darn strong for August.  Then, the bulk of the system shifts into the Gulf of Alaska on Saturday, as it weakens and broadens a bit.  A second wave is to follow the same path about a day behind.  High pressure does not again take control of the Pacific until late next week.  Very interesting, and perhaps a sign of a change in the seasons could be a bit early this year.

Or, this could just be a blip.  Still, if it does come to pass, we could see significant wind swell and minor ground swell coming from the north west.  Not a bad thing, considering the small south swells, that we have been lucky enough to have, are coming to an end.  And on the long range fantasy models, we see more low pressure moving across the north Pacific to start off the month of September.  All of these storms are expected to stay well north of our area, so no hopes of rain any time soon.  But Seattle and points north could begin to see some moderate rain.  Some parts of the British Columbia coast can expect heavy rains over the next week.

Nubble Light, Cape Neddick.  York, Maine.

It is a good thing we are staying dry because tomato season has just begun for the coastal communities.  Our Sungolds (small cherry tomato) are just starting to go off.  The vines are huge, with many over seven feet long.  And heavy with fruit.  Now the ripening process is to begin.  You may have tomato plants yourself, and you may hit a point in the next month when you have more  tomatoes than you know what to do with.  We just end up putting them in everything.  Salad, salsa, pasta, curry, whatever.  If you still have some sitting around, you can always can some for the winter.  If you do not want to go through all that trouble, and have some freezer space, try this.  Score the skin of the tomatoes before placing them in boiling water.  Boil for 90 seconds and transfer to ice water.  Allow them to sit for 5 minutes.  Remove and peel the skin off.  If done correctly, the skin will already be separated from the flesh.  Either keep or remove the seeds.  Cool and place in a freezer bag.  Freeze until needed.  They will be great for sauces and pasta come February.  You can never have too many fresh tomatoes.

Remember to water your gardens.  Even with this fog, the dry afternoon air and winds help drain that soil.  Cucumbers, beans and squash especially need a regular watering.  And that will not change for some time.  For now, foggy mornings and sunny afternoons prevail along the coast.  Oh, and local pics will return soon.