Weather, Climate, and Other Science Topics
New model runs are coming in as we speak, and they show a similar scenario for late New Year’s Eve/New Year’s Day. Next week still looks like the coldest in several years, and there is low confidence in a moderate-to-major snowstorm on Friday, with model solutions agreeing on bringing a system into the area while […]
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 […]
As a forecaster, it’s always a little nerve-wracking when models are consistently showing a high-impact event. In fact, in some ways, it’s more nerve-wracking than if the models were showing a variety of different outcomes. Higher model agreement gives us higher confidence in our forecasts, meaning that when that time inevitably comes that our forecasts […]
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 […]
I’m very busy today preparing for a Christmas-Eve party with my family, but I thought I’d get in a quick Christmas Eve and Christmas Day forecast for the citizens of Western Washington, as well as a quick aviation forecast for tonight so that Santa knows what he’s dealing with as he somehow travels down millions […]
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.
Hi everybody! I’m back home in Seattle for the holidays, and while it’s great to see my family, dog, and friends, a very large part of me wishes I was still in Portland. While we’ve had a cool, cloudy, and relatively non-eventful weather day, the entire Willamette Valley is under a Winter Storm Warning for […]
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 […]
Good morning everybody! Snow just started falling in Portland a few minutes ago (around 9:37 for my neighborhood). The flakes are very dry and light and are getting blown this way and that by strong easterly gusts through the Columbia River Gorge. Speaking of gusts, let’s take a look at what Crown Point is doing […]
