Well, if hurricanes are on one side of the meteorological spectrum, what is on the other? Recent fog picture courtesy of the Seattle Times You guessed it...fog, and folks the Northwest is entering fog season. In fact, September and October are the foggiest time of the year around here, NOT the middle of the winter.On Sunday I got to experience...
When Did Irene Stop Being a Hurricane?
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On Sunday morning Anderson Cooper of CNN was asking about the strong winds that were being forecast and this brings up something that has really bothered me about the storm: there is really no reliable evidence of hurricane-force winds at any time the storm was over North Carolina or moving up the East Coast.First, what is a hurricane? ...
Hurricane Irene Forecasts and Their Hurricanes Versus Our Hurricanes
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The media is hitting Hurricane Irene really hard and some descriptions are going too far: "historical storm", "storm of the century", etc. Folks, this a category 1 storm with sustained winds of 85 mph. Serious, but not catastrophic. We are already seeing local authorities overreact--like NYC cutting off bus and subway service at noon...
Mid-Level Convection
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Yesterday was quite a meteorological treat, with interesting clouds and an amazingly colorful sunset. But it was also a good example of mid-level instability--when the mid-levels of the atmosphere starts to break out into cumulus-like convective features.Yesterday, a weak upper level disturbance was approaching, with upward motion aloft,...
A Potential Breakthrough in Hurricane Forecasting
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If you are a billionaire, a foundation leader, a powerful politician, or have a few million dollars to spare, I have an idea for you, one that might greatly improve the skill of hurricane forecasts. No pressure--just a chance to make a huge difference in predicting storms that do billions of dollars of damage a year. But first lets talk...
The New Coastal Radar Delivers!
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A major change in weather is now occurring, with marine air pushing into western Washington, displacing the warmth of yesterday. A front is approaching the coast, but will it rain? How strong is the front? Now we know--because of the new coastal radar.This morning, Brad Colman, Meteorologist in Charge of the National Weather...
The Northwest Drought
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There have been a lot of complaints about our summer weather, but one thing you have to admit--it has NOT been very wet. Northwest summers are supposed to be relatively dry, but the last 4-weeks have been downright arid around here....even after we got through the climatologically dry period of the last week of July and first week of August.Here...
Strong Sound Breeze and Tragedy
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Last night's 11 PM news and today's Seattle Times related a story about the tragic death of a young man near Seward Park who had been using a Yamaha personal water craft. The ST article is found here. In this article there was a brief mention of a sudden increase in wind and choppiness of Lake Washington.Was there a meteorological origin...
Bogus Arguments of Some Global Warming "Skeptics"
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During the past week I have gotten several emails from folks who said they had absolute proof that human-induced global warming is nonsense.The argument they offer: volcanoes put out way more CO2 than human activities. So it doesn't matter what we do!Since I have heard this claim at least a dozen times during the past few months, I thought I...
The Upcoming Week AND What Have We Been Missing?
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I just took a look at the latest model output and it appears that we have a fairly decent week ahead. In fact, the Climate Prediction Center's 6-10 day forecasts have a different look than we are accustomed to:Higher odds for warmer than normal in the West (including us), near normal over the middle of the U.S., and cooler in the East.The persistent...
My Weather Segment is Back on Public Radio! KPLU
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My weekly weather segment on public radio returns on September 2, but on a new public radio station: KPLU. Specifically, I will be on Fridays at 9 AM for a full five minutes right after the NPR news and KPLU's popular segment Birdnote. And they will repeat this segment twice in the afternoon during All Things Considered. Click...
Fears of a Double Dip
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Nothing terrifies Northwesteners more. Many of us have suffered greatly because of it. Folks are depressed over its effects. Supposed experts are not sure which way it will go. And the media can't seem to get enough of it, with headlines and articles describing its unpleasant effects all the time.The nation's financial...
A New Chapter In Pacific Northwest Weather Forecasting
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With all the depressing news these days, some good news is more than welcome. And I have very good news: some important Northwest weather history was made last week: the new coastal radar was turned on and we have received some of the first images. After nearly twenty years of local lobbying for this device, it is now a reality. ...
