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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Tri-Cities record first 70°F high of 2024

Upper level ridging continues to dominate conditions throughout the Pacific Northwest. This has produced highs above 70°F (21°C) in many lowland locations over the weekend. Quillayute, near Forks on the Olympic Peninsula, even recorded a high of 80°F (27°C) on Saturday. The Tri-Cities joined the club on Sunday with a high of 73°F (23°C). March […]

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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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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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Shrinking glaciers on Mt. Rainier

Author’s Note: This is the last of a weekly series on geology for a class I am taking this semester at BYU-Idaho. This week’s prompt required students to show the effects of climate change in our local area. Other posts from this assignment can be found under the “Geology 111” category. If I had to pick […]

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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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