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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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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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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Pacific Northwest Snowpack Report – December 2016

If it seems like you’ve gotten a lot of snow so far this season, you’re not wrong. All of Oregon is above average for snowfall thus far, as well as most of Washington and southern Idaho. This is good for improving our ongoing drought situation, especially in eastern Oregon where the drought is still keeping […]

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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. […]

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