Marginal risk for severe thunderstorms in parts of the Columbia Basin Sunday

The Storm Prediction Center has placed parts of the region under a marginal risk for severe thunderstorms on Sunday. For the Columbia Basin, this includes areas that are along and east of a line stretching from Condon and Irrigon north to the Tri-Cities and Othello. More broadly speaking, it also encompasses most of northeastern Oregon, […]

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Tornado climatology of the Columbia Basin

This post focuses on tornado statistics in the Tri-Cities and Columbia Basin. For specific details about the Richland tornado that happened on March 31, head over to this AgWeatherNet article that I contributed to. Tornadoes are a rare occurrence in the Columbia Basin, but they aren’t unheard of. This is something that we were reminded […]

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Don’t board the hype train: A look at our snow chances next week

Note: The data presented in this post is accurate as of midday Wednesday. Snowflakes in weather apps present an annual struggle for meteorologists and weather enthusiasts. Last night, a friend of mine texted me showing exactly that – a major weather app with snow in the forecast for the Tri-Cities. Before we get too deep, […]

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It won’t be Snowmageddon, but we will have snow

Thursday afternoon, the National Weather Service in Pendleton posted Winter Storm Watches for their entire warning area. For the Tri-Cities and Hermiston, the statement calls for 3-6 inches of snow falling Friday Night through Saturday Night. Right now, they’re expecting 3-5 inches in Walla Walla and Pendleton for Friday Night through Sunday Morning. This is […]

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We need to close the Pacific Northwest Radar Gaps

Doppler radar is one of my favorite tools for viewing weather data. Its amazing to me that using radio waves, we can see light rain and snow, tornadoes, and fine details in hurricanes. Not only can we see where these are, but we can also estimate wind speeds, freezing levels, and hail sizes – all […]

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