The heatwave that gripped the Pacific Northwest since the last week of July is finally drawing to a close, leaving behind several new temperature records. This event came during what is climatologically the hottest time of the year for the Tri-Cities meaning that the bar was already pretty high for temperature records. This heatwave extended […]
Monsoon moisture moderated highs in the Columbia Basin on Sunday and Monday
On both Sunday and Monday highs in the Tri-Cities and surrounding areas came in below the forecast (though still quite hot) because of cloud cover. On Sunday these clouds were remnants of thunderstorm activity from the night before in the Blue Mountains and Central Oregon. On Monday, radar data showed some light shower activity trying […]
Elevated fire danger to kick off the end of the heatwave
The heat wave is forecast to slowly come to an end over the next couple of days but fire danger will increase as it makes its way out. This has prompted the National Weather Service to issue a Red Flag Warning in effect from 12:00 Monday to 21:00 Tuesday for the combination of low humidity […]
Heat wave forecast to last longer than expected previously
A ridge of high pressure continues to dominate weather conditions across the Pacific Northwest, with many locations above 100° Saturday afternoon and a few places around the Tri-Cities getting around 110°. For several days, weather models had shown significant cooling Monday and beyond, but as we’ve gotten closer it now appears that the weather may […]
Excessive heat warning for weekend events including Water Follies and Watershed
The heat wave impacting the Pacific Northwest is forecast to continue into the weekend as a ridge of high pressure sits over the Western United States and Canada. The National Weather Service offices in both Pendleton and Spokane have extended their excessive heat warnings for their portions of the Columbia Basin to last until 23:00 Sunday. […]
Thoughts on our upcoming weather: Interpreting long-range forecasts
Note: This post talks about official forecasts for this winter and is the final part of my series on my thoughts for the upcoming winter. Other posts in this series can be found here. HOW THE FORECAST WORKS Before we look at long-range forecasts from the Climate Prediction Center (CPC) and Environment Canada, it is important […]
Thoughts on our upcoming winter: Analog years
Note: This post talks about previous years that had some similarities to our current situation and is part of a series on my thoughts for the upcoming winter. Other posts in this series can be found here. ANALOG YEARS Looking at analog years goes deeper than looking at the Blob and the El Niño-Southern Oscillation. […]
Thoughts on our upcoming winter: Impact of The Blob
Note: This post talks about the impact of the Blob on winter weather in the Tri-Cities and is part of a series on my thoughts for the upcoming winter. Other posts in this series can be found here. THE BLOB The Blob is an area of persistent, unusually warm sea surface temperatures (SSTs) in the […]
Thoughts on our upcoming winter: Impact of El Niño-Southern Oscillation
Note: This post talks about the impact of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation on historic weather in the Tri-Cities and is the first in a series on my thoughts for the upcoming winter. Other posts in this series can be found here after they are released. INTRODUCTION As we transition toward the cold season, arguably the […]