This has been an extraordinary fall for autumn color..the best I have seen in years. Why? According to the resources I checked on the web, fall colors are encouraged when there are warm, sunny days and cool, non-freezing nights. Well this year we have had an unusual number of such days/nights during much of October. In addition, it has been far...
The Latest Forecast
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Unfortunately, we have begun the transition out of the fine, sunny weather we have enjoyed during the past two weeks. Take a look at the latest infrared satellite image this morning...a line of moisture is streaming towards the NW and if you look close you can see the swirl of clouds associated with a low center off our coast. Today there will...
Major Changes Ahead
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Well, we have all enjoyed the past two weeks...one of the best end of Octobers in a while. As shown in the graphs (for Sea-Tac AP), our temperatures have been at or above normal and precipitation has been well below normal. And the leaf colors are the finest I can remember. This favorable weather has been associated with persistent high pressure...also...
Foggy Mornings
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This is the fog season in our area. Why? The nights are long and there is lots of time for the earth to cool off as it radiates infrared energy to space. But you need one more thing...clear or nearly clear skies...which still occur now, but happen less often in the middle of the winter. Why? Clouds intercept infrared radiation from the surface and...
Wind in the mountains
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Yesterday, my wife and I hiked to the top of Tiger Mountain, which reaches about 2500 ft. There was an inversion yesterday morning, with cold air in the lowest few hundred feet and warmer air aloft. Because of a difference in pressure across the Cascades (with high pressure to the east of the crest and lower pressure to the west), there was strong...
Sunday forecast
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Today is going to be a perfect fall day....a few high clouds over the region and some fog in a few low-lying valleys. But the fog will burn away soon and temps will claim in the 60s west of the Cascade crest. The long-range forecasts are cloudy/rainy weather next weekend...so today is the day for outdoor recreation or to finish up that painting (which I was doing yesterday!). Monday and Tuesday are also certain to be good.For those interested, there will be a forum on K-12 math education in our state on the UW campus tomorrow evening at 7:30 PM in Kane 210. I will be speaking there--on math, not weath...
Weekend Update
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Today is the transitional day...but it really won't be half bad. A weak front is moving through now. It only brought a few light showers to scattered locations. You'll notice that temps are warmer this morning...the reason..the clouds, which prevent the loss of infrared radiation to space. The satellite picture to your right is this morning's infrared...
The Weekend Forecast
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This morning this was lots of fog and freezing temperatures away from water...so the black ice threat was there. Be careful on these days during the morning. The forecast for this weekend is still on track. A weak front is now moving in from the north...we have some clouds from it already and they should thicken later...particularly over the northern...
Latest Weather Analysis
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Our temperatures have returned to normal after a period in which we were consistently below normal. Take a look at the plot of the temperatures at Sea Tac airport for the last 4 weeks...the light red line shows the average maximum and the blue line the average minimum. The dark line is the actual temps. We had a few week cool stretch mid month. ...
Spectacular Day and Weekend Ahead
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With high pressure over and to the east of us, clear skies extend over most of the area...except some fog in lower elevation near water or in valleys. But sun will reign this afternoon. We got cold last night...even down to freezing...with the clear skies (even some black ice is possible). Temperatures should be above normal today...with much of...
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A very different day today. The front is well past us now, rain has stopped, and most of the area is either clear or in fog--especially near water or in low areas (see pic near Lake WA). Dense fog is actually a sign of good weather ahead. Why? It generally forms on clear nights that allows the surface to cool effectively (the surface loses heat...
Monday Weather Analysis
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A well-defined line of rain, associated with a Pacific cold front, is now approaching Puget Sound (see the radar picture). In this image the yellow are heavy rain and the green are moderate rain. Note the lack of radar echo on the coast the the triangle shape void over the Olympic peninsula...the reason---no radar coverage! The front should move...
Foggy morning, but sun will come
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With clear skies last night, temperatures dropped into the 30s, and I expect some areas of "black" ice could have formed. With such cooling, fog also forms and fairly dense fog is now over the lowlands (see picture). But it won't last. The area of cold, foggy air is quite shallow and limited (see satellite image) and I expect the fog to be gone...
Weekend Weather Update
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Looking at the weather observations and models, confirms the predictions on Friday..it is going to be a perfect fall weekend. The weak front that I talked about yesterday is now moving southeast of the region (see photo), leaving behind generally sunny skies, except for a few locations with some fog (which will burn off soon). Temperatures should...
Latest weather analysis
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A warm front moved through yesterday afternoon and you can feel it. Temperatures last night remained high and we have moderate southwesterly winds aloft. But change is approaching. A weak cold front is now extending from the northwest corner of the Olympic Peninsula to Vancouver and has some light to moderate rain. The front will slowly move southeastward...
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A relatively quiet day today...with some clearing NE of the Olympics in the rainshadow of the Olympics. Mostly sunny east of the Cascades. A warm front and some showers moving through tonight, followed by a cold front Friday afternoon and evening. The weekend looks good..dry, with temps reaching the upper fifties.The image to the right is the 2...
