Weather, Climate, and Other Science Topics
April 2021 was by far the driest April on record for Portland, with only 0.39″ of rain falling at Portland Int’l Airport. This record-dry April occurred on the heels of a much drier-than-average March. As I explained in my last blog post, the entire Western US is experiencing drought conditions, and although the drought is […]
Many locations across the Pacific NW have seen their driest start to spring on record. As of April 22, Portland has seen a paltry 1.64 inches of rain since March 1, which is more than 4 inches below-average. According to the US Drought Monitor, such a dry spring has allowed the moderate drought conditions that […]
Spring used to be my least-favorite season. Back in elementary and middle school, I grieved the transition to boring weather, the seasonal closing of ski resorts in the Cascades, and the departure of the windy, rainy weather that captured my imagination on many a winter day. I’d much rather stay up all night waiting for […]
In my AP European History class back in high school, I remember being astounded by some of the suffixes that the kings and queens had. With a name like Louis XVI, is it any surprise that the French rose up and demanded a change in government? In the spirit of European monarchies, we have our […]
A lot has happened in the weather department since I wrote my last blog two weeks ago. Washington, Oregon, and California all declared a State of Emergency due to widespread wildfires, and the entire Western US saw one of the hottest August heat waves on record. This heat wave gave California its worst energy crisis […]
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 […]
Hi all, I’m back after a hiatus! We really haven’t had much to talk about and I’ve been busy spending lots of time with my family, so blogging and weather updates have fallen by the wayside. However, we’re expected to see what could be the strongest heat wave of 2020 this weekend, and such blistering […]
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. […]
One of our family friends described Pacific Northwest weather as being ‘stuck in a wet sock.’ Today has certainly felt that way. We’ve had a steady drip of rain here on Whidbey Island but hardly anything in the rain gauge to show for it. For some, it’s the perfect complement to a warm cup of […]
What a wet weekend it has been! Many places across the I-5 corridor have picked up 0.25-0.75 inches of rain over the past 48 hours, but the Olympics and Coast Range have seen much more, with 1-2 inches common. Vancouver Island has been the wettest of all, with two stations on the Southern Vancouver Island […]
