Is the Low Snowpack this Year a Sign of Global Warming?
Updated: 2023-12-30 04:10:00
: Cliff Mass Weather Blog This blog discusses current weather , weather prediction , climate issues , and current events December 29, 2023 Is the Low Snowpack this Year a Sign of Global Warming The poor coverage of snowpack trends in the Seattle Times and other newspapers was very evident today on the front page of our local newspaper see below A story Winter has arrived , snow not so much filled the right side of the front page . nbsp A reprint of a NY Times article by Mike Baker , this story suggests that the lack of snow was the result of global warming climate change see below Amazingly this article neglects the key reason why our snowpack is not doing too well : nbsp this is a very strong El Nino year . nbsp This incurious article does not review the trend of mountain snowpack over
: Cliff Mass Weather Blog This blog discusses current weather , weather prediction , climate issues , and current events December 27, 2023 A Wet Drought If society and an informed electorate are going to make good decisions about environmental matters , they require accurate information . nbsp Unfortunately , there has been a lot of poor information about climate change , extreme weather , and drought being distributed by certain government agencies and some . media One example is the nearly constant talk about drought here in the Northwest and the western U.S . in general , often with a suggestion of a climate change . origin The most problematic source of the drought claims is the U.S . Drought Monitor graphic produced by a collection of governmental agencies . nbsp This is a subjective
By Erin Sanders and Bernie Connell This year the second solstice occurred on December 21, 2023. In Earth’s Northern Hemisphere this marks the start of astronomical winter and is the shortest day of the year in terms of possible daylight. … Continue reading →
: Cliff Mass Weather Blog This blog discusses current weather , weather prediction , climate issues , and current events December 20, 2023 What is the snow forecast for the holiday season I have gotten several emails from readers asking about the snow . situation What are the chances for a white Christmas in the lowlands What about more snow for the mountains and ski areas I will do my best to answer these questions in this . blog What is the snow situation right now The short answer is that current snow coverage and depth are below normal , with barely enough to run the regional ski facilities in . Washington Let's begin with the latest USDA Snotel maps below Most of the mountainous areas are 55-65 of normal , with the Olympics 29 being a low outlier due to a warm , atmospheric river a
: Cliff Mass Weather Blog This blog discusses current weather , weather prediction , climate issues , and current events December 14, 2023 El Nino Weather Ahead We are in a very strong El Nino and typically its influence on Northern Hemisphere weather circulation increases during December , with the most profound impacts after January 1. We will get a potent taste of a typical El Nino pattern next . week Let me show . you As I noted in a previous blog , the sea surface temperature of the tropical Pacific has become far warmer than normal see below In fact , the critical El Nino index region 3.4 sea surface temperatures anomaly from normal is now about 2°C above normal , resulting in a strong El . Nino The difference in temperature from . normal El Ninos tend to produce a certain
: Cliff Mass Weather Blog This blog discusses current weather , weather prediction , climate issues , and current events December 12, 2023 Is Northwest Precipitation Getting Heavier or Lighter The media frequently talks about trends in precipitation , sometimes describing increasing drought and sometimes suggesting precipitation is . increasing Of interest , both increasing drought and increasing precipitation are often explained by global . warming In any case , instead of speculating about precipitation trends , let's check out what the real world is telling . us That is the topic of this . blog Let's start with Seattle-Tacoma Airport , Washington , whose record goes back to the mid-1940s . nbsp Below is a plot of its annual precipitation . nbsp There is little overall . trend A bit
: Cliff Mass Weather Blog This blog discusses current weather , weather prediction , climate issues , and current events December 09, 2023 First Lowland Snow over the Western Washington Lowlands It is snowing right now in some favored locations in western Washington . yes , snow falling to sea . level Take a look at a video provided by Greg Johnson of Skunk Bay Weather , whose cam is located on the northern Kitsap Peninsula . nbsp I warn you , you will be looking for some hot chocolate before you are . finished Or consider the Kitsap County Airport , which at 1:30 PM was completed snowbound The lowland snow is mainly limited to the area southeast of the Olympic Mountains--mainly the Kitsap County area--and has been forecast for days . nbsp Below is the UW model forecast from yesterday
Another atmospheric river event impacted the Pacific Northwest (PNW), earlier this week. Plumes of moisture moved into the region that led to heavy precipitation and flooding for the states of Washington, Oregon, and Idaho. 24-hour precipitation totals from Monday, 4 … Continue reading →
: Cliff Mass Weather Blog This blog discusses current weather , weather prediction , climate issues , and current events December 07, 2023 The Darkness It has been often said that it is darkest before the . dawn Well folks , we have been very dark and dawn is a long way . off The image from the Seattle SpaceNeedle at noon Wednesday , was dismal at best see below So what do the numbers say How dark have we really been Below is a plot of incoming solar radiation from the WSU AgWeather network site in Seattle near the UW over the past year . nbsp The last two days have been abysmal , with 0.57 and 0.87 MJ megajoules per square meter . nbsp During the midsummer we often get above 30. To put it another way , during mid-summer we can get around 50 times more warming rays from the sun than during
Today’s Forecast Good morning and happy Wednesday! I hope everyone has had an amazing week so far! Today will be partly sunny with a high of 46 and a low of 31. For tomorrow expect warmer temps and sunny skies … Continue reading →
: , , Cliff Mass Weather Blog This blog discusses current weather , weather prediction , climate issues , and current events December 05, 2023 Subtropical Warmth , Heavy Rain , and Filling Reservoirs You did not have to travel to Hawaii this morning to experience subtropical warmth or tropical-intensity showers . nbsp It was here in the Pacific . Northwest As a substantial atmospheric river interacts with our terrain , large amounts of precipitation have fallen during the last 36 h , with extreme contrasts over a few . miles Before are the 36-h totals . nbsp Some locations over NW Oregon and SW Washington got to around 8 inches . and more is coming . nbsp 6-7 inches in the . Cascades But as impressive as the large totals are breaking daily records at some locations the LACK of rain in some