Weather, Climate, and Other Science Topics
Last night, a rare, catastrophic tornado outbreak occurred over portions of the Southern and Midwestern US. As of Saturday afternoon, 34 people were confirmed dead, with an estimated 75-100 deaths across Missouri, Illinois, Tennessee, and Kentucky and potentially 50-70 deaths in Mayfield, Kentucky alone. Most deaths were due to a series of tornadoes – or […]
11:00 pm Monday What a shift in weather we’ve seen over the last week! In my last blog on 5/31, I was talking about the potential for record heat in Portland on Tuesday, 6/1. Portland indeed set a record that day, hitting 95 and breaking the record of 94 set back in 1970. Perhaps even […]
What happens when you combine an unstable airmass, a mountain range, and daytime heating? You get scattered afternoon/evening thunderstorms that bubble up along the Cascade crest! We saw a ton of those today and they made for some really pretty views looking east from Portland to the Cascades. Today, a weak upper-level trough moved south […]
When somebody asks me the forecast and I want to give them a (good-spirited) sarcastic response, I’ll usually give them a forecast of “showers and sunbreaks.” I’ll say something like “we’ll see various types of weather tomorrow, with some locations seeing mainly sun, other locations seeing mainly rain, and others seeing a combination of showers […]
I’m writing from the front porch of an old fishing cabin in Sekiu, a small fishing village along the Strait of Juan de Fuca approximately 15 miles ESE of Cape Flattery. I’m being treated to an incredible – and unexpected – lightning show from some strong thunderstorms to our north over the Strait and Southern […]
The Portland NWS issued a “Special Weather Statement” at 4pm warning of the potential for “cold core funnel clouds” this afternoon. But what is a “cold core funnel cloud,” you might ask?? Special Weather Statement National Weather Service Portland OR 400 PM PDT Tue Jun 16 2020 ORZ006>008-170100- Greater Portland Metro Area-Central Willamette Valley- South […]
The weather sounds like the most inconsequential thing to talk about during these times, but if it weren’t for – you know – the global pandemic and revolution stuff – it would absolutely make front-line news. A tornado came through Damascus, OR yesterday evening! Take a look at this video from Tim Lussier… it’s not […]
I’m committing one of the cardinal sins of weather blogging here: putting a high-impact, but uncertain, forecast in the title of a weather blog. I truly believe that this is an unethical practice, and that those who do it are trading a little part of their journalistic soul in exchange for a few more clicks. […]
I’m a big George Carlin fan, and one of my favorite routines is his comparison of baseball vs football. The thesis of his routine is how baseball is lighthearted and fun, while football is war and nothing less. One example he gives is how a football game will proceed no matter the weather, while a […]
A catastrophic EF-3 tornado tore parts of Alabama and Georgia today, leaving at least 23 people dead and many others injured. This tornado was part of a larger early-season outbreak that brought at least a dozen tornadoes to Alabama, Georgia, Florida, and South Carolina. These tornadoes were formed when an intensifying low-pressure-system over the Southeast […]
