The Davis Vantage Pro is an example of a high quality instrument package at a reasonable priceOne of the most frequent questions I get, particularly during the holiday season, is about purchasing weather instruments. Which are the good ones? How much should one pay? The good news is that high quality weather instruments are available in all price...
New Web Weather Applications
| comments
Now that the weather has calmed down a bit and nothing serious is on the weather horizon (except for some good snowfalls in the mountains), its a good time to talk about some new powerful local weather websites.New UW Weather Radar InterfaceThe first is a new weather radar website hosted by the UW. Created by Harry Edmon (the atmospheric sciences...
Its Snowing
| comments
Sitting in Seattle right now, its 30F and big aggregate snow flakes are slowly drifting down outside of my window. That plus a nice cup of tea and a successful forecast--life doesn't get much better than that.But it won't last unfortunately.Right now a warm frontal zone is moving in overhead...that is producing the precipitation, but it is also producing...
Snow Update
| comments
Yes..it looks like more snow..but only for a few hours...here is the latest WRF high resolution results for the 24-h snowfall ending 4 PM tomorrow. Snow over central Puget Sound (maybe an inch) and several inches over portions of NW Washington. The NWS concurs on this. Hopefully won't mess up this forecast! The mountains, particularly the north...
The Thanksgiving Forecast
| comments
Major changes are going to happen in the next day and the end of the cold temperatures and icy grip are in sight....but there is much to get through first.You can see the changes in the sky. Clouds moved in overhead accompanying warming aloft.An interesting observation...temperatures warmed a bit in the middle of the night as the cloud spread overhead....
Amazing Videos and the Latest Snow Totals
| comments
Last night there was blizzard-like conditions around our area...with the Hood Canal and environs being particularly hard hit. Check out this video from Silverdale on the Kitsap Peninsula courtesy of Dale Ireland. Their power is still out...http://www.drdale.com/lapse/snow101122canon.movThe conditions were treacherous last night on the city hills...and...
Winds
| comments
The snow is still going on..although generally light--and will end during the next 4-5 hrs. The reason is that the circulation aloft is right above us.The winds tonight have been extraordinary...particularly over the NW portion of the state and over Puget Sound. Gust have been as high as 40-55 mph at Bellingham, Friday Harbor and the East Strait...
Even more interesting
| comments
Thing are really getting interesting now. See the surface chart above at 2 PM. The low center is MUCH stronger than the model's predicted. Around 999 mb and is now located over the Olympic Peninsula...as a result southwesterly winds are picking up in the south Sound and the northerlies are strengthening to the north. The collided airstreams are...
Humility
| comments
One thing you learn in this business fast is humility.Clearly, our model forecasts have had some problems and now the situation is now becoming clearer. Precipitation has spread was more intense and spread farther north than predicted. But the biggest threat was never this morning... all the models had only a few flurries over us. The 1-3 inch NWS...
This AM
| comments
Some snow flurries and light snow are falling in much of the area south of Everett. This is associated with an upper short disturbance that moved in from the north and which will be moving out this morning (see image)The radar shows show scattered light precipitation (snow). (see graphic). Some locations south of Lynnwood have gotten around 1/4-1...
How much snow?
| comments
First, here are the snow reports from the Seattle NWS office:PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SEATTLE WA 610 PM PDT SUN NOV 21 2010 ..SNOWFALL TOTALS THROUGH SUNDAY AFTERNOON... KING COUNTY SNOWFALL(IN) TYPEENUMCLAW 6(MILES)NNE 3.5 SPOTTER PIERCE COUNTY SNOWFALL TYPE EATONVILLE...
Sunday Afternoon
| comments
The National Weather Service's new forecast for the Puget Sound central area for tomorrow is now snow at times with accumulations of 1-3 inches. The weather channel is going for a few snow showers.The high resolution models that I am looking at suggest virtually no snow from Seattle northward.Everyone agrees on the cold air and strong northerly winds!You think it is cold now? MUCH colder air is coming.The models worked out pretty well today...not perfect...but highly useful. Lets see what tonight's forecasts suggests.... The disturbance is now entering an area with more data, so that should he...
Sunday AM Update
| comments
There is a very weak upper level disturbance passing over us this morning and will be through by noon. It has enhanced some clouds and is producing light snow showers. That is all it is going to do over the lowlands north of Seattle. The amounts will increase as you approach the foothills due terrain-induced upslope flow. South of Seattle there...
Forget the Snow over Seattle--Its Heading to Oregon
| comments
Last night there was a burst of light snow, accompanied by strong winds, in the Bellingham, Whatcom County, San Juan Island areas...and some snow reached Port Angeles. The explanation is simple: moisture from a small low circulation rotated into the opposing cold flow of the Fraser and other gaps in the Cascades. Here are some snowfall measurements...
Uncertainty
| comments
Tonight light snow and strong NE winds has spread from the Bellingham area, across the San Juans, to lower Vancouver Island....and the next to be hit is the northern Olympic peninsula. The model forecasts were quite good for this. Here is the current surface observations...you can clearly see the NE winds exiting the Fraser.Saturday and Sunday is...
Brief Update
| comments
First, this is showtime for NW Washington as a band of precipitation overuns the cold air coming out of the Fraser. It is now snowing at Bellingham and Orcas Island. NE winds have strengthened...to 30 mph at Bellingham Airport.The latest computer forecasts (initialized at 10 AM this morning) are more threatening for Monday...but lets view tonight's runs before we jump to conclusions. We will have cold enough air...the question is precipitation. The classic situation is to have a significant upper trough move southward in northerly flow...the new runs are suggesting this....but lets take some time to analyze the...
Bellingham Fun, Fraser Outflow and an Admission
| comments
It's here.....Cold, dry modified arctic air is now pushing through the Fraser River Valley into Bellingham and areas to the north.Here are the latest observations at the Bellingham Airport. Look at the wind direction. It shifted from southeasterly (90 is E, 180 is S, etc) to northerly and then northeasterly (20-30)---air coming right out of the Fraser!...
