Marine Weather and Tide Forecast for Maple Falls, WA

SYNOPSIS
Upper level ridge over the area will weaken and shift west tonight and Thursday. Weak system moving down British Columbia coast moving through Thursday night. Upper level ridge strengthening offshore Friday will nose into British Columbia through the weekend into Monday with dry northeasterly flow aloft.
The ridge will start to weaken Tuesday.

SHORT TERM /TODAY THROUGH FRIDAY/
Satellite imagery shows high clouds streaming over the area. Stratus spilling out of the Strait of Georgia covering the San Juans and northern slopes of the Olympics. The stratus is as far south as Port Ludlow at 3 am/11z.
Areas of freezing fog formed after midnight in the Southwest Interior and South Puget Sound. Temperatures were in the mid 20s to mid 30s.

Upper level ridge remaining in place over the area today with some high clouds moving through the ridge. Stratus and freezing fog not very deep and will dissipate by midday. Highs in the lower to mid 40s.

Ridge beginning to weaken tonight and retrograde westward as a shortwave moves over the top of the ridge into Haida Gwaii around 12z Thursday. High clouds not thick enough to prevent some patchy freezing fog in the usual places like the Southwest Interior. Lows once again will be in the mid 20s to mid 30s.

Ridge continuing to retrograde Thursday opening the door for the shortwave to move down the British Columbia coast towards Western Washington. By 00z Friday system just to the north over Southern British Columbia. Close enough for slight chance pops near the Canadian border Thursday afternoon. Increasing clouds during the afternoon for the remainder of the area. Highs in the lower to mid 40s.

Shortwave moving through Thursday night. With the track mainly over land combined with fighting its way through the backside of the ridge there will not be a lot of juice left with this feature as it reaches the area. Chance pops for most locations. Best chance of precipitation over the North Cascades and even there precipitation amounts looks to be a tenth of an inch or less.
Temperatures dropping to the lower and mid 30s before the cloud cover thickens up enough to stop the temperatures from dropping.
Could see temps warm a couple of degrees overnight. Lows in the lower to mid 30s.

Shortwave south of the area Friday morning with just chance pops over the southern portion. Upper level ridge offshore gaining amplitude with the flow aloft becoming northerly creating sunny skies in the afternoon from about Tacoma northward. Highs once again in the lower to mid 40s.

LONG TERM /SATURDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/
Extended models in good agreement, as they have been for the last few runs, with the upper level ridge nosing into British Columbia through the weekend then drifting south over Western Washington Monday and Tuesday. Upper level low over Southern California/Nevada creating a rex block pattern in the upper levels. If you liked the weather the last couple of days you will like the weather in the extended since it is going to be instant replay. Light surface gradients through the period with patchy freezing fog forming in the morning in favored locations like the Southwest Interior. The fog will not be deep enough to last into the afternoon hours. Temperatures will continue to be below normal with highs in the lower to mid 40s and lows in the mid 20s to lower 30s.

Models are hinting at the pattern breaking down in the middle next week with the possibility of an organized front arriving for the end of the month. Felton

AVIATION
Northwesterly flow aloft as high pressure continues to dominate over western Washington. VFR conditions at most area terminals early this morning, with lower clouds hanging out over the Strait of Juan de Fuca and Strait of Georgia near the Canadian border. High cirrus has begun to spread over western Washington.
This should help limit widespread fog development across the area, though some area terminals in the south Puget Sound area (including PWT and OLM) have begun to experience some periods of freezing fog.
Cirrus should continue through this morning with little expansion of the fog expected. VFR conditions are expected through the rest of the day on Wednesday with just high clouds overhead.

Winds remain light to calm this morning. Light winds do look to pick up a touch today, up to around 6 to 10 kt. Winds will be northerly through the Puget Sound, turning northeasterly as they are pulled through the gaps in the Strait of Juan de Fuca and around Grays Harbor.

KSEA...VFR conditions with some high clouds overhead. Expect conditions to remain like so through the TAF period. Calm winds early this morning will become northerly, 6 to 10 kt, by 18-20Z Wednesday. Winds will remain north/northeasterly but decrease to 5 kt and less by 03Z Thursday.

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MARINE
High pressure will remain in place over the coastal waters through Thursday, maintaining light offshore flow and generally benign conditions. A weak front will move southward from British Columbia across the area Thursday, increasing northerly winds Thursday night into Friday. Small Craft Advisory strength winds likely across the outer coastal waters. High pressure remains in place offshore this weekend into early next week, keeping winds northerly and conditions dry and calm. Additional high pressure over interior B.C. will allow for weak Fraser outflow across the northern interior waters Friday into Saturday.

Seas will remain around 4 to 6 ft through early Thursday. Seas will then slowly build up to 8 to 12 feet across the coastal waters on Friday then subsiding to 3 to 6 feet over the weekend.

HYDROLOGY
No river flooding the next 7 days.

SEW WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
WA...None.
PZ...None.