Weather, Climate, and Other Science Topics
Back in June, most extended forecasts were calling for near or slightly cooler-than-average temperatures for the Pacific Northwest with near or slightly below-average precipitation. It was a reasonable forecast; after all, we had just gone through one of the wettest and coolest springs on record, and a moderate La Nina was expected to persist through […]
A dangerous heat wave will impact the Pacific Northwest this week. It won’t be anywhere near as strong as the “Heat Dome” of June 26-28, but it will still bring record highs to large portions of the Pacific NW Wednesday – Friday, with record highs likely holding on for the inland Pacific NW on Saturday. […]
As of 8/2, Portland and Seattle have seen 48 and 49 consecutive days without measurable precipitation, respectively. Such dry spells aren’t unheard of for the summer – Portland’s record for consecutive dry days is 71 and was set in 1967, and Seattle’s is 55 and was set just back in 2017. But this anomalously long […]
In my last blog post on 8/30, I warned of a “late-season heatwave with offshore flow” that would “dramatically increase fire danger for the Pacific Northwest.” But when I wrote that, never in my wildest dreams did I imagine that we’d see a wind/firestorm the intensity of the one witnessed earlier this month. I work […]
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 […]
Well… it couldn’t last forever. The upper-level trough that pushed through the region last Friday ushered in a much cooler and cleaner airmass to give us a refreshing end to the workweek and start to the weekend. But as a ridge strengthened over the area on Saturday and onshore flow decreased, high-elevation smoke started to […]
Everything seemed right for record high temperatures at Portland. We had offshore winds to prevent any cooling from the Pacific Ocean and a massive ridge overhead with insanely warm temperatures aloft. But with extreme heat comes extreme fire danger, and fires have erupted over the Pacific Northwest and British Columbia over the past few days. […]
