Blizzard warning for the Cascades, wind alerts for Columbia Basin

A strong low pressure system and associated frontal boundaries are forecast to approach the Pacific Northwest from the northwest producing heavy precipitation and windy conditions throughout the region. Travel is expected to be difficult Monday evening through Wednesday with Cascade and Blue Mountain highways possibly being impassible at times. This system has prompted National Weather […]

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Christmas winter weather advisory for the Tri-Cities and Yakima

The National Weather Service has issued a winter weather advisory for the Columbia Basin and Yakima Valley from 10:00 Monday to 10:00 Tuesday. The Cascade Mountains also have an alert posted, but Walla Walla was left out of the advisory area. Light precipitation is forecast to spread from west to east across Eastern Washington and […]

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Flood watch for Portland metro as Pineapple Express takes aim

A prolonged period of wet weather has begun in the Pacific Northwest to kick off meteorological winter. For most, rain started Thursday and the east wind coming through the Columbia Gorge was cold enough to allow slushy snowflakes to briefly mix in with the rain in parts of Northeast Portland. Additional rainmakers are forecast to […]

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Cold season temperature inversions

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, […]

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How to read surface weather analysis maps

Surface weather analysis charts are a treasure trove of information about regional and continent-scale weather patterns. They are full of a variety of symbols that can give a good at-a-glance view of what conditions are occuring. Some regional and continental forecasts are also displayed as analysis charts. There are multiple organizations that create surface weather […]

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