From about November to February temperature inversions accompanied by low clouds and fog are a common weather feature in the Columbia Basin. These are not unique to the Columbia Basin with many valleys throughout the Western United States and the world also experiencing strong inversions, including the Salt Lake City area in Utah and Almaty, […]
The Pacific Northwest’s other Ice Age Floods
Toward the end of the Last Glacial Maximum, catastrophic flooding surged down parts of the Columbia River watershed as natural dams creating large lakes failed. Some originated from Glacial Lake Missoula, which was created by a large dam of ice in Montana and Idaho that periodically failed. These, often termed Missoula Floods are probably the […]
Construction at Salt Lake Airport may be producing erroneously high temperatures at weather station
Like many places in the Western United States during summer of 2022, Salt Lake City has been tying old records and setting new ones. Earlier this summer, Salt Lake City International Airport recorded a high of 107°F tying the old all-time record. All six of the first six days of September recorded highs at or […]
Salt is my favorite mineral
Author’s Note: This part of a weekly series on geology for a class I am taking this semester at BYU-Idaho. This week’s prompt required students to find a mineral in their local area and explain what it is. Other posts from this assignment can be found under the “Geology 111” category. Featured Image: The Great […]
Incoming! Late season storm to bring snow to Northern Rockies
It’s May (obviously), and if you’re like me you’re super angry to see the word snow being thrown around willy nilly. Well, it’s real and it’s coming. On the bright side, this is a quick-moving storm with things beginning to clear out Wednesday and Thursday. Right Now First, here’s a look at the surface analysis […]
Snow Just in Time for Christmas in Idaho and Utah
Here we go boys and girls, this is what we’ve been dreaming of! Snow is set to arrive along I-15 beginning Friday Night and lasting into Christmas Day. The Weather Service offices in Salt Lake City and Pocatello have thrown a couple of winter alerts our way, so let’s take a look at the situation. […]
Ten states are colder than… Mars?
Yup, you read that unfortunate headline right. The high at my house today in St. Anthony, Idaho is going to around 4, while the high where the Curiosity Rover is on Mars is forecasted to be 28. In fact, 10 states will be completely colder that the high at Curiosity and another 18 states will have […]
POST REQUEST: Salt Lake City Snow Forecast
In the comments in my last blog post (archive), a family member of mine in the Salt Lake area lamented about not having snow. Instead of commenting something short, I decided to do a full blog post. I have good news and bad news. I’ll start with the bad news first: Bad News: Forecasted highs […]