Today I biked to the UW and was perfectly dry. No rain gear needed and the temperature was so warm I had to remove my sweater. In contrast, it is pouring on the coast, over SW Washington, and in the Cascades, with a number of locations getting close to .5 inches per HOUR. The reason: a very evident rainshadow to the lee (east) of the Olympics (see radar image). There is also rainshadowing in the lee of the mountains of Vancouver Island...so the San Juans and Bellingham are doing well. Why is the rainshadow over us and not Sequim?...because the winds are westerly. Usually during wet situations it is southwesterly and
rain shadow is centered to the NE of the
Olympics. The high resolution computer models had the rainshadow in it yesterday (see the graphic of an 18-h forecast)....we have really come a long way.
The computer models suggest the heavy rain will slowly sink southward during the day and the area should dry out after dinner. Then we are dry until Friday when a weak warm front will bring some light rain to the northern part of the State and clouds over the rest.
rain shadow is centered to the NE of the 
Olympics. The high resolution computer models had the rainshadow in it yesterday (see the graphic of an 18-h forecast)....we have really come a long way.
