The Inner Secrets of An Impressive Pacific Storm
Updated: 2024-01-31 13:35:00
: Cliff Mass Weather Blog This blog discusses current weather , weather prediction , climate issues , and current events January 31, 2024 The Inner Secrets of An Impressive Pacific Storm A very large , intense , and beautiful cyclone was off our shore yesterday afternoon see below Stretching over several thousand miles , this cyclone was associated with active weather fronts , very strong winds , and powerful vertical . motions But there is a lot with such storms that can surprise the uninitiated . nbsp For example , where are the strongest winds If you said in the very center of the storm , where the lowest pressure is observed , you would be wrong . nbsp And there are many more surprises . nbsp Consider the . winds Below is a short-term forecast map of sea level pressure and surface
Today’s Forecast Good morning and happy Wednesday! I hope everyone is having an amazing 2024 so far! Today will be another cool and rather cloudy day with highs in the mid 40s and lows in the lower 30s. Luckily, no … Continue reading →
: Cliff Mass Weather Blog This blog discusses current weather , weather prediction , climate issues , and current events January 28, 2024 Water Vapor Fest over the Pacific Northwest The U.S . West Coast is experiencing a very wet period and this pluvial bounty is not ending . soon Dramatically , measures of water vapor approaching our coast are . impressive To illustrate , consider the water vapor imagery from the NOAA GOES-West satellite on Saturday afternoon see below I rarely show such imagery on this blog and it is virtually never presented by the media . nbsp Where it is white , there is a lot of water vapor in the mid to upper troposphere roughly 18,000 to 35,000 ft The image below shows the entire West Coast engulfed in H2O . nbsp Expect little change this week . nbsp Currents of
: . Cliff Mass Weather Blog This blog discusses current weather , weather prediction , climate issues , and current events January 26, 2024 Water Resources Looks Good Over the Western U.S . The end of January midway into the western U.S . water season--is a good time to evaluate potential water resources for the upcoming . summer There had been some concern that an El Nino winter would result in drought conditions for some and flooding for others . nbsp Fortunately , such fears do not appear to be . realized Let us begin by reviewing the all-important reservoir levels in California , nbsp whose low values two years ago were a cause of great . concern As shown below , nbsp California's reservoir levels are in excellent shape and generally well above normal . nbsp The largest and most
: Cliff Mass Weather Blog This blog discusses current weather , weather prediction , climate issues , and current events January 24, 2024 El Nino is Dying and the Northwest Will Get Drenched All natural phenomena have their time and for our current strong El Nino , time is . up Observations have shown the beginning of a rapid weakening of El Nino , a decline predicted by models for quite a while . nbsp A decline so substantial that it will lead to a La Nina for next . winter To tell this tale of decline , let's start by looking at the key index of tropical Pacific sea surface temperatures , the Nino3.4 , index the difference from normal of sea surface temperatures in the central tropical Pacific see map below The plot of Nino 3.4 temperatures over time below shows a warming that peaked
: Cliff Mass Weather Blog This blog discusses current weather , weather prediction , climate issues , and current events January 22, 2024 One of the longest jet streams in memory This week I gave a lecture to my junior weather analysis class on the jet stream , a current of strong winds in the upper troposphere 25,000 to 35,000 ft above sea level in the midlatitudes . nbsp So I have been musing about this topic a . bit Yesterday I saw the current map of winds at 300 hPa about 30,000 ft for the entire Northern Hemisphere and was taken aback : nbsp the longest continuous jet stream I can . remember As shown by the map valid 1 PM Sunday , strong westerly winds exceeding 100 knots stretch from Iran to Baja , California . nbsp Halfway around the entire Northern Hemisphere . nbsp About 8000 .
: Cliff Mass Weather Blog This blog discusses current weather , weather prediction , climate issues , and current events January 20, 2024 The Cold Weather is Over After a record-break string of cold weather , with ice and snow extending to many low-elevation areas in the Northwest , some very welcome warmth is . coming In western Washington . you can say goodbye to the teens and twenties and welcome temperatures climbing into the 50s . nbsp Eastern Washington will thaw . out And ample precipitation will return to the West Coast , helping to push off concerns about . drought Winter is running out of time with ice snow conditions over the lowlands becoming far less possible in roughly a . month Strangely enough , if one averages over time , this winter has not been unusual , a fact that
: Cliff Mass Weather Blog This blog discusses current weather , weather prediction , climate issues , and current events January 18, 2024 Freezing Rain or Rain That Freezes They are NOT the Same On Tuesday there was a lot of talk about freezing rain events , ice storms , and the like . nbsp There was also a lot of confusion and misinformation about what happened Tuesday evening as precipitation moved . in As I will describe , there was a lot of above-freezing rain falling on cold surfaces , but very little freezing rain . nbsp Few locations experienced freezing rain , but some locations had rain that froze on localized cold . surfaces So what exactly is freezing rain Here is the definition provided by the National Weather : Service Freezing rain occurs when snowflakes descend into a warmer
: Cliff Mass Weather Blog This blog discusses current weather , weather prediction , climate issues , and current events January 16, 2024 Heavy Lowland Snow over Northwest Washington Tomorrow Snow is coming back to the Washington . lowlands Northwest Washington , from Bellingham to the San Juan Islands to the northern Olympic Peninsula , will experience a significant . snowfall The Puget Sound lowlands will experience some flakes , and maybe even some limited freezing rain , but it won't amount to . much I waited to talk about this until I had confidence in the forecast . nbsp Let me start by showing you the total snowfall amount of snow falling from the sky from the latest high-resolution UW forecast . nbsp Snow depth would be . less The precipitation will reach us around dinner time
: Cliff Mass Weather Blog This blog discusses current weather , weather prediction , climate issues , and current events January 15, 2024 The Cold Truth About Renewable Energy in the Pacific Northwest Over the weekend I received several messages from Puget Sound Energy to reduce my energy use , both gas and electric , with the implicit threats of potential blackouts see below Avista Energy eastern Washington Idaho and other utilities made similar requests from their . customers The key reasons for the worries The cold weather caused a large increase in energy demand and radically reduced the output of renewables mainly wind in our region For a few hours , there was also a problem with PSE's gas storage facility south of . Olympia This blog will describe the situation and why renewable
: , Cliff Mass Weather Blog This blog discusses current weather , weather prediction , climate issues , and current events January 13, 2024 Dry Storm Hits Washington State , Snow Freezing Rain over Northwest Oregon Today is a day of amazing weather contrast across the region , with unusual extremes around every corner . nbsp On one hand , the low-level air over Washington State is extraordinarily dry because frigid Arctic air has very little moisture . content Consider dew point , an absolute measure of the water vapor content of the . air Dew point temperature , the temperature to which air must be cooled to get saturation 100 relative humidity is in the single digits to below zero F over much of the state see plot below for 2 PM values In western Washington , wintertime dew point
: Cliff Mass Weather Blog This blog discusses current weather , weather prediction , climate issues , and current events January 11, 2024 A Dramatic Arctic Front Pushes Southward into Washington State This afternoon a powerful Arctic Front pushed southward into Washington State , on both sides of the . Cascades As a reminder , an Arctic Front is the boundary of cold , dry air from northern Canada and the previous moist , warm air over the region . nbsp Winds behind the Arctic Front are often strong and gusty , particularly when it exits low-level gaps such as the Fraser River . Valley And some light snow often accompanies this front as . well The Arctic Front today was one of the strongest in years . let me show you the . details This Arctic Front hit like a freight train . nbsp Here is a
: Cliff Mass Weather Blog This blog discusses current weather , weather prediction , climate issues , and current events January 09, 2024 Will Heavy Lowland Snow Fall over Western Washington on Friday or Saturday The buzz is up regarding the potential for a major snow event over the lowlands of western Washington and Oregon on Friday or . Saturday I have had nearly two dozen emails about this issue today and calls from local media . so folks know about the . potential This is a very challenging situation with relatively low predictability and large differences in model . forecasts But slowly , the picture is getting clearer . and I will tell you about it in this . blog Our confidence in the forecast should improve substantially tomorrow and Thursday as we get closer to the event and more
: Cliff Mass Weather Blog This blog discusses current weather , weather prediction , climate issues , and current events January 08, 2024 Strong Winds and Mountain Blizzard Tonight and Tomorrow There is a LOT of active weather ahead , some of it very challenging to . forecast If you had any plans on crossing the Cascades , do it today Most of the passes will be closed by blizzard conditions . tomorrow And I would charge up your phones and other electronics today if you live west of the Cascade Crest . nbsp A strong wind event over the western lowlands will result in many power outages later tonight and tomorrow morning . The key feature over the next 24-h will be a strong low-pressure center that will move across southern British Columbia tonight and . tomorrow Check out the pressure wind
: Cliff Mass Weather Blog This blog discusses current weather , weather prediction , climate issues , and current events January 06, 2024 The Five-Day Rule for Weather Prediction When I write this blog , I generally follow a Five-Day Rule of Weather Prediction and so should . you Here is the : rule Predictions of severe or exciting weather for more than five days out should be considered with caution . nbsp Be VERY careful of hyping forecasts for longer periods . nbsp Be aware of the uncertainty of big events predicted at longer lead . times I have noticed that some media and popular local amateur sites on YouTube , X , and other media regularly break the five-day rule , often hyping events that often never occur . nbsp Crying wolf like that is not a good . thing Several local outlets have
: Cliff Mass Weather Blog This blog discusses current weather , weather prediction , climate issues , and current events January 04, 2024 Major Mountain Snowfall Guaranteed PLUS the Potential for Lowland Snow We are now close enough in time to be quite certain that the Pacific Northwest mountains will receive a major snow . dump We also know that the first half of January will NOT be characterized by El Nino warmth , as had . December And it is now clear that there is a possibility for snowflakes reaching sea level in some parts of western . Washington So let's get to the . details The latest high-resolution UW forecast for total snow accumulation over the next 4 days 96-h , through 4 AM Monday predicts 1-2 feet in the central and northern Washington Cascades and the mountains of southwest