Weather, Climate, and Other Science Topics
As of 8/2, Portland and Seattle have seen 48 and 49 consecutive days without measurable precipitation, respectively. Such dry spells aren’t unheard of for the summer – Portland’s record for consecutive dry days is 71 and was set in 1967, and Seattle’s is 55 and was set just back in 2017. But this anomalously long […]
Last week, the Bootleg Fire, a 400,000 acre conflagration that is still only 40% contained, made headlines when it tripped off a set of high-voltage transmission lines known as the California-Oregon Intertie that transmit electricity between the Pacific Northwest and California. At the time, California was experiencing an extreme heat wave and very high electricity […]
It was hot Sunday and today! My brother came down to Portland for the weekend, and yesterday, we went cliff diving at High Rocks Park on the Clackamas River. There were some pretty acrobatic divers jumping off the rocks, and there were several lifeguards and an ambulance van on standby in case there were any […]
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 […]
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 […]
Our first day of storm chasing was more of a travel day than anything else, so it was icing on the cake that we were treated to some strong storms and spectacular lightning at night. We all decided to meet in Albuquerque, and although Albuquerque is hardly known for its tornadoes, it ended up being […]
In the wake of the incredible thunderstorms many locations around the area saw Thursday, I thought I’d write a review on the amazing and very uncommon weather we saw last week. In the interest of time, I will spend relatively little time reviewing general thunderstorm knowledge, but if you are interested, you can read a 4-part […]
