Weather, Climate, and Other Science Topics
Before I explain Seattle’s crazy weather on Monday, I must apologize for not keeping you updated on the situation throughout the day and night! Since I’ve moved down to Portland, I’ve definitely been more out-of-touch with Seattle weather. Still, that’s no excuse for at least writing a post-storm blog about the insane and unexpected thundersnow […]
Folks in the Seattle metro were treated to some snow this morning as a convergence zone formed over the area! This zone was hinted at by last night’s high-resolution UW WRF-GFS, but the timing was off – the WRF-GFS had the zone occurring slightly later and further to the NE than the zone actually was. […]
My personal “line in the sand” past which lowland snow events become more and more unlikely is Valentine’s Day. After Valentine’s Day, longer days and higher sun angles make cold temperatures at the surface much harder to come by, even if temperatures in the upper atmosphere are just as cold as they were in January. […]
As I’ve mentioned in some of my previous posts, this has been an exceptionally stormy winter for much of California. While these storms have been crucial in eliminating California’s drought, they have also caused a variety of weather-related hazards in the Golden State. And no hazard has been bigger than the crisis on Northern California’s […]
The 2016-2017 winter has been an extraordinarily wet winter for California, but Washington and Northern Oregon have actually been drier than normal for most of the winter. But with Seattle on track to break their all-time reocrd for monthly rainfall in February and Portland not too far behind, one wonders what is responsible for the […]
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 […]
After dealing with lowland snow Sunday/Monday, heavy rain Wednesday/Thursday, and a minor windstorm today, Pacific Northwesterners will finally get a much-deserved respite from the wacky weather we’ve witnessed recently. Today’s winds were caused by a degrading 999 mb cyclone making landfall on the Olympic Peninsula. As is typical, the strongest gusts were in the mountains, […]
Tonight’s model runs are in, and every model has shifted the plume of moisture I was talking about in last night’s blog slightly further north. Now, it appears as though Portland will be too warm for snow, while Seattle will see several inches of extremely wet, gloppy snow that may have trouble sticking at the […]
We all remember the “Ides of October” windstorm on October 15, 2016. The one that sprung out of Supertyphoon Songda and was feared to be a historic Pacific Northwest windstorm that would long be remembered. Models were originally showing a major windstorm that would pack 100+ mph gusts to the coast and 80 mph winds […]
I’ve been watching the potential for snow, sleet, and freezing rain in the Portland area Thursday night into Friday as a weak warm front runs into a cold air mass over the area. The front has trended weaker and weaker with recent model runs, so while some snow and freezing rain still appears possible, amounts […]
