Puget Sound Seasonal Weather Patterns ?

[Alm0d0g]

Will be my first season change on the Sound. I sail primarily between seattle and bainbridge island. I would like to continue sailing into the fall. What kind of conditions can I expect?

[delmarrey]

Originally Posted by Alm0d0g

Will be my first season change on the Sound. I sail primarily between seattle and bainbridge island. I would like to continue sailing into the fall. What kind of conditions can I expect?

A few days of hot then rain. A few more days of hot then rain. We are in the Northern tropics, you know. On the hot days the winds will pick up at about 3 PM and die down about 6 PM.

About early Oct. It'll start cooling down with some strong winds. By Halloween there could a frost. And maybe some snow by late Nov.

[svIorek]

I wouldn't worry too much about the weather... It will change in a few minutes...

As Delmarrey said, it can be sunny for a few days and then not for a few more. And once the summer is over, the sailing can start! Winds only seem to get predictable and sustained after November. GoreTex has been my safest investment since moving to Seattle about 11 years ago. That and a dodger/spray hood!

[jrd22]

September can be a beautiful month, in a normal year. This year, who knows? October usually isn't cold but it can get stormy as we approach Halloween. You can sail year round but there will be periods of stormy weather when you just don't want to be out there. January is typically the coldest month of the year but by March it's just wet and warming up again.

[webejammin]

You should be aware that a SW breeze turns from the south when it hits the mountains and good anchorages are rare. I've had it rain so hard it came thru the full enclosure thru the new fabric in Eagle harbor on Banbridge island and then sun and a fair breeze in Oct.

[engele]

North of where you are the SE winds can get intense in the winter. For a few weeks every winter it seems that there are winds you don't want to sail in. I once had the companionway hatch freeze shut while spending the night on a mooring off of Cypress Is. in Nov. so it does get cold. The big winds can be very big. A friend lost his wind instruments in a storm a few years ago in the marina with an 86kt gust. Gusts that big are not unheard of outside of the marinas, but are less common inside of them. I would just be aware of the forecast, make sure your cabin heat works well, and don't push your luck as the season drags later if the forecast is showing a chance of big wind. Always be prepared for it.

[Piney]

Some of the best wind is during the winter months Prepare for wet and cold.

Some of us LOVE the big wind.

[s/v Beth]

Now the forcast is rain. For the rest of the season: wet and cold. We did get some great winds Tuesday and Wednesday in the San Juans. Saw a few others out sailing.

[John A]

The forecast is for a mild La Nina making this winter in the PNW colder and wetter than normal.

But this can change.