Weather, Climate, and Other Science Topics
La Ninas typically feature cool and wet springs, and the 2021-2022 La Nina has had that in spades. According to Chief Fox12 Meteorologist Mark Nelsen, Portland just experienced its wettest April on record, the coolest April since 2011, and, as denizens of the Portland metropolitan area know all too well, had a very rare April […]
Most La Ninas and El Ninos peak in December or early January. In fact, El Nino was first called “El Nino de Navidad” (translated from Spanish to “the Christ Child”) by Peruvian fisherman in the 1600s due to its tendency to peak right around Christmas. Like most El Ninos and La Ninas, the 2021-2022 La […]
When I was younger, my parents would get me the “Old Farmers Almanac” every year for Christmas. In a time before I knew about dynamical climate models and ensemble-based, bias-corrected seasonal forecasting, the Old Farmer’s Almanac seasonal forecasts were a godsend. Part of the allure of the Almanac for an upstart weather zealot like myself […]
Saturday’s rain was refreshing, wasn’t it? Some spots saw far more rain than forecast as a weak upper-level low slowly drifted southeastward from the Olympic Peninsula through the Willamette Valley and into Central Oregon, while other spots saw hardly any rain at all. This was particularly true for the Puget Sound region, where a local […]
Welcome to autumn everybody! The equinox occurred at 12:50 this morning, and our days will continue to get shorter and shorter until the winter solstice. Interestingly, the equinox has slightly more day than night for two reasons: first, the sun is a disc and not a point, and two: Earth’s atmosphere refracts light, making the […]
After a crazy-active week last week, there thankfully appear to be no major storms on the horizon for at least the rest of 2018. I say “thankfully” because although I am a storm fan, I’m also a meteorologist for a living coming off a week-and-a-half holiday vacation where weather was the last thing on my […]
Within a few weeks, La “Nina” will be replaced by her cousin, La “Nada,” which is the moniker we’ve lovingly given to ENSO-Neutral Conditions in the Tropical Pacific, where we are neither in a La Nina or an El Nino state. “ENSO” simply refers to “El Nino Southern Oscillation” and is the broad term that […]
With the days rapidly getting shorter and the first major system of autumn only hours away, I’ve been getting more and more excited for the beginning of storm season. There’s nothing I love more than a good Pacific Northwest lowland snowstorm, and windstorms, mountain snow, and heavy rain aren’t far behind. So when I caught […]
Rumors of ol’ El returning for summer 2017 have been percolating through meteorological echo chambers for the past few months, but in the past few days, mainstream media outlets like the New York Times have spilled the beans to the bourgeoisie and proletariat alike, alerting Americans of all walks of life that another El Nino […]
Well, it was nice while it lasted. But all good things must come to an end, and this year’s weak La Niña is no exception. Brie Hawkins of Little Bear Creek Weather mentioned to me this morning that NOAA announced that La Niña was officially over, so I thought I’d write a blog reviewing its […]
