Warm and sunny pattern to break down, Pacific Northwest returning to cool rain

Tuesday is likely to be the warmest day of this weather pattern for the Columbia Basin with the Tri-Cities reaching into the upper-70s (26°C). Temperatures in some areas west of the Cascades peaked on Monday. Portland recorded a high of 77°F (25°C), a new record for March 18, while Seattle peaked a few days ago. […]

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Strong ridge to develop over the Northwest, sunny skies and warm temps forecast

Leftover moisture and cold air aloft will be enough for scattered showers and isolated t-storms throughout the Pacific Northwest on Tuesday. These storms will be more widespread along and west of the Cascades and some may produce small hail and/or graupel. The Columbia Gorge, Hermiston, and the Tri-Cities will be breezy Tuesday into Wednesday as […]

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Third cold front in a row to pass through Pacific Northwest on Monday

The third system in a train that started late last week is forecast to reach the Pacific Northwest during the day Monday. High clouds from this are already reaching the Interstate 5 corridor as of 07:00. Rainfall totals through Tuesday reaching half an inch (10 mm) are forecast for Portland, Seattle, and Vancouver with higher […]

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Pacific Northwest snowpack improves at the start of March after week of snow

A prolonged pattern of upper level troughing and repeated regional storm systems have added quite a bit of snow to mountains of the Pacific Northwest over the past week. As of the end of the day on March 4, the snow-water equivalent (SWE) value for the Northwest was 88% of the median for this time […]

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Columbia Basin dry for the weekend but showers return Monday

Some drizzle was observed in the Tri-Cities area Thursday and Friday as a low pressure system worked its way through the region. That low is on its way east to bring some snow to the Plains and Canadian Prairies (with sharp temperature drops in places like Winnipeg). The Columbia Basin will be in between regional […]

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Flow turning NW’ly for Pacific Northwest bringing cooler temps & mountain snow

Seasonally warm temperatures being observed in the Pacific Northwest Friday and Saturday will draw to a close on Sunday when an upper level trough is forecast to turn the upper level wind pattern more northwesterly over the region. As a result, cooler air sourced from the Gulf of Alaska will come in for a return […]

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Snow and freezing rain forecast in the Columbia Basin, Yakima Valley starting Tuesday night

The next Pacific storm is forecast to start bringing precipitation to the Columbia Basin and Yakima Valley late in the day Tuesday. A few light snow showers are possible as early as 17:00 but the main show begins later in the evening for Yakima and overnight in the Tri-Cities. The first band of snow, associated […]

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Frigid temps for the Inland Northwest, heavy snow possible in Northeast Oregon

An arctic cold front moving southwestward across the Columbia Basin is bringing a plunge in temperatures. When it passed through Moses Lake on Thursday afternoon, the temperature dropped from 32°F (0°C) at 13:45 to 21°F (-6°C) at 15:30. From there temperatures continued to slowly drop to reach 18°F (-8°C) by 18:30. The cold front reached […]

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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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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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