Spring 2021 was third driest on record for Tri-Cities, driest in Walla Walla & Pendleton

Source: Hervé Agnoux/Wikimedia Commons

This Spring will go down as the third driest on record for the Tri-Cities as dry conditions continue to plague much of the American West. A total of 0.31 inches of rain was observed during the months of March, April, and May (meteorological spring). Tri-Cities Driest Springs Rank Year Precipitation 1 1964 0.06″ 2 1900 […]

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Heat advisory for the Columbia Basin extended to Thursday

Early Monday morning, the National Weather Service issued a heat advisory for the Columbia Basin. That advisory will still start at 11:00 Tuesday but now extends to 20:00 Thursday. It includes the Tri-Cities, Yakima, Walla Walla, Hermiston, and surrounding areas. FORECAST This heatwave comes just in time for the start of meteorological summer, which begins […]

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Tri-Cities drier and warmer in updated NOAA weather averages being released

When discussing weather, there is a lot of comparison to “average” or “normal” conditions in a given place. These represent an expected temperature, precipitation, or other value averaged over a 30-year period for stations around the world. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), parent agency of the National Weather Service (NWS), calculates these averages […]

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GALLERY: Pictures from Monday’s storms in the Columbia Basin

Monday’s storm over the Columbia Basin produced plenty of lightning and heavy rain. Hermiston recorded 0.51″, the Southridge area of Kennewick had 0.58″, and I even received a report from Beck Road south of Kennewick where a grower had 0.84″! On top of this, flooding in Connell prompted the National Weather Service to issue a […]

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Drought improvement continues across Pacific Northwest

With all the snow we’ve received in the Pacific Northwest over the past several weeks, it’s crazy to think that there are still some parts of the region still experiencing drought conditions. Almost all of the drought is centered in the Oregon Cascades and the high deserts south of John Day (with a small amount […]

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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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Warm system for Thanksgiving week

An atmospheric river is set up to douse almost the entire West Coast. Raising freezing levels today and tomorrow will aid Thanksgiving travelers the next couple of days, keeping snow off of the major passes. By midnight Monday night, the freezing level in much of Oregon will be above 9,000 feet with freezing levels remaining near […]

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