Surface Temperature (°C) contours shown are from the surface layer of the model and are based on daily forecast solutions generated by the NOS implementation of the SSCOFS. NOS runs 4 forecast cycles each day. The animation presented here was generated from the 2nd cycle (9-HR GMT) using solutions downloaded from the NOAA THREDDS developmental catalog.

Cooler temperatures in the Strait of Juan de Fuca are a well-known feature induced by the strong vertical mixing of upwelled bottom inflow waters from the Pacific Ocean with surface outflow. Strait of Georgia surface waters north of San Juan Islands fed by warm Fraser River waters in the summer show the effects of stratification and are always noticeably warmer. Inside Puget Sound, the warmest surface temperatures are known to occur in Hood Canal due to strong fjord circulation and stratification features. Central Puget Sound surface temperatures however are typically cooler than South Puget Sound or other basins, once again due to stronger than typical mixing induced by efflux/reflux circulation between the Admiralty Inlet and Tacoma Narrows system of embracing sills.