First looks at the satellite weather

It's that time of the year again. Once again, I'll be obsessing over the satellite weather images. To the left is the water vapor image from NOAA's geostationary satellite that sits over the Western Pacific.

Note the streak of clear sky that runs from mid-Pacific off the coast of Mexico up to the Oregon/California coastal border. The terminus point on the coast is where an annual high pressure system sits all summer long, routing the jet stream North toward British Columbia. While this high stays in place, Western Oregon stays mostly warm and dry. The danger point for us is when, sometime during October each year, this high pressure system breaks down. At that point, the jet stream slips down and points every major Pacific storm right at the Willamette Valley.

So between now and our last picking date, I'll be watching for signs that our nice high pressure system is breaking up. When I see that happening, I'll start making calls to growers to set any pick dates I don't already have in place, because once the jet stream slips South, the sun and warmth are pretty much gone.