Weather, Climate, and Other Science Topics
When I was little, I remember how the Summit at Snoqualmie would always put out a “Photo of the Day,” chronicling the weather conditions each day up on the mountain. Now, they have an Instagram and take photos whenever they feel like it, and while I guess it serves the same purpose as the “Photo of […]
Today was just a prelude to the stormy weekend ahead, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t exciting! A cool and unstable air mass poured into the region, bringing brief but heavy showers to the lowlands and heavy snow in the mountains above 5,000 feet. The satellite picture taken this afternoon by NASA’s polar-orbiting TERRA satellite […]
A major pattern change is in store for us next week. After dealing with very cold temperatures and heaps of snow for those lucky folks in Portland, we will see temperatures in the 50s, snow levels above 7000 feet, and very heavy rain as an atmospheric river plows through the Pacific Northwest. There is still […]
I must admit, it’s a little difficult coming up with varying titles for your blogs when you are simply blogging about the same thing. It’s not as difficult as forecasting snow in Seattle, but it’s definitely up there. Models are still adamant with a major pattern change beginning Saturday evening as a deep upper-level-low drops […]
Well, another day has passed, and my confidence is building that we will see a major and prolonged arctic outbreak for the first half of January. We’ve got a lot to talk about, so let’s get right to it. In my blog post last night, I talked about a massive ridge of high pressure centered […]
After a few days of chilly and slightly unsettled conditions, stormy weather has once again returned to the Pacific Northwest. And with our latest system, the big story is snow in the mountains. Winter storm warnings are in effect for the Olympics and Cascades, with storm totals of 1-2 feet over the Olympics and 2-4 […]
After two weeks of subfreezing temperatures, snowfall, and even sleet and freezing rain for folks living in Bellingham and near the Columbia River Gorge, a major pattern change towards warmer and wetter weather is in store for us. Although I like the cold (and LOVE the snow that sometimes comes with it), I’m excited to transition back to a much more active pattern that promises to bring gobs of snow to the mountains, heavy rain to the lowlands, and blustery winds just about everywhere.
We did it! After suffering through a completely snowless 2015 and a very wimpy 2014, we finally got a widespread lowland snow event for Western Washington and Northwest Oregon. And it’s not over yet… snow is still falling in the foothills and further north in Skagit and Whatcom counties where temperatures are cooler. Let’s first […]
Snow is really coming down over the Cascades right now! Snoqualmie Pass is currently “chains required on all vehicles except all-wheel-drive,” and Stevens is only slightly better with chains required on trucks and traction tires required for all vehicles. And the top of Alpental looks downright stormy. As the radar below shows, a cold front […]
Thanksgiving Week is, on average, the stormiest week of the year for the Pacific Northwest. And luckily for storm geeks and snow lovers across our region, Turkey Day 2016 will live up to its stormy reputation as a cyclone bringing strong winds, heavy rain, and heaps of mountain snow slams into the Pacific Northwest. That’s […]
