Weather, Climate, and Other Science Topics
Two Sundays ago, I proudly proclaimed that Juneuary would end on the 17th. But taking a look at the webcam from Timberline Lodge this morning, that appears to have been a premature call! Just another example of why you can’t give much weight to any forecasts more than 2 weeks in advance. And don’t even […]
What a beautiful sunset tonight! I’m currently on Whidbey Island just north of Seattle, but Portland saw a spectacular sunset as well. When the sun is low on the horizon like it is at sunrise or sunset, sunlight has to pass through more atmosphere before it reaches our eyes. The oxygen molecules in the […]
I ran through some quick climate stats for Portland Int’l Airport, and since Saturday of Memorial Day Weekend (5/23), only 2 of 10 weekends (this includes Memorial Day) have had temperatures at or above-average, while 15 of 20 weekdays have seen at or above-average temperatures. And unfortunately for weekend adventurers, this week will bring more […]
I was treated to an incredible sunset on Whidbey Island in Puget Sound tonight! I took the below photo while kayaking in Cultus Bay facing WNW. One subtle feature (but one that really jumps out to a meteorologist!) are the “cloud bands” to the northwest, in the right half of the picture. These are due […]
We live in a completely different world now than just a week ago. I can’t even imagine what the next weeks, months, or even hours may hold, but I know one thing: this virus will completely restructure our society, economy, and culture, and hopefully towards a more equitable, sustainable direction. In this time of great […]
Early spring is upon us! I went hiking on Friday in Forest Park with fellow WeatherTogether blogger (and music buddy… he’s a great sax/french horn player!) Karl Bonner ahead of the cold front that swept through later that evening, and we had a great time looking at the budding flora, most of which had not […]
Just a quick post/explanation about the unsettled weather we’ve seen today! We’ve seen plenty of “showers and sunbreaks” today as an upper-level-trough moves onshore. Upper-level-troughs are associated with both cold air aloft and large-scale vertical motion, and both of these features support the larger process known as convection and the associated “showers and sunbreaks” we […]
Tuesday began clear for most of the Willamette Valley, but folks in downtown Portland and Vancouver had to wait until 10-11 am to break out of the clouds. The 10:00 am visible satellite image below shows how isolated this fog was to downtown Portland. Thankfully, those areas of patchy fog burned off by 11-11:30, and […]
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 […]
Sorry for the post hiatus folks! I just got back from a week-long trip with my folks to Cabo San Lucas and had a great time fishing, beach-combing, dancing, and eating all sorts of delicious food over there. We’ve had a pleasant start to June, and the past two days have been simply exceptional! Yesterday, […]
