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 […]
Hurricane-force storm in Alaska to bring rain and mountain snow to most of the West Coast
A rapidly intensifying low pressure system is moving north through the Gulf of Alaska on Wednesday afternoon. It is forecast to make landfall on or near Alaska’s Kenai Peninsula early Thursday morning. Off the coast of Alaska, hurricane-force winds are forecast to extend eastward from the Kenai Peninsula toward the southeastern portion of the state. […]
Cool and wet weather returning to the Northwest this weekend
Ridging over the Pacific Northwest on Wednesday along with a strong low in the Gulf of Alaska are driving mostly sunny and seasonably warm conditions in the Portland area. Meanwhile to the north, a Pineapple Express has been aiming at Vancouver Island, producing up to 200 mm (8 inches) of rain. This Pineapple Express is […]
Fake monsoon bringing possible t-storms Monday and Tuesday
Showers were already being observed in the Columbia Basin and Yakima Valley before 04:00 Monday thanks to an upper level low pressure system centered near Central Oregon. This pattern is pulling moisture up from the southeast in a setup similar to what occurs during monsoon season late in the summer. I’m labeling it a fake […]
Heat for the weekend, t-storms possible Monday
Ridging is building over the American West today into the weekend, leading to a regional heat wave in the Pacific Northwest. Above average temperatures are forecast for the Columbia Basin, though things aren’t looking quite as warm as they were originally expected. The Tri-Cities can expect a high in the mid 80s on Friday and […]
Some clouds Wed afternoon with heat wave on tap this weekend
Tri-Cities weather May 10, 2023 Starting the day with just a few clouds moving about the Columbia Basin. A weak trough is forecast to pass overhead so that with daytime heating, cumulus development is likely starting midday for partly cloudy skies this afternoon. Scattered thunderstorms in the mountains will add some high clouds to the […]
Rain showers and mostly cloudy Tue, heat wave this weekend
Tri-Cities weather May 9, 2023 An upper level low pressure system is moving eastward into the Northern Rockies Tuesday morning. Rain showers and isolated thunderstorms, mostly south of the Tri-Cities, will taper off into midday as the low moves deeper into Idaho. Maybe some clearing midday before clouds from mountain thunderstorms develop this afternoon. An […]
Rain showers and breezy Friday, drier and warmer Saturday
Tri-Cities weather • Friday, May 5, 2023 Expect mostly cloudy skies throughout the day with off and on light rain showers. With the San Francisco low that drove our conditions most of the week having moved off toward the northeast, we no longer have warm moist air being pulled in from the south. This takes […]
Increasing clouds Thu, t-storms tonight, breezy Fri
Tri-Cities weather May 4, 2023 Partly cloudy skies to start the day. These are mostly high clouds drifting north from thunderstorms in mountains to the south and east. Increasing clouds for the remainder of the day which will moderate highs compared to yesterday. Look for temperatures reaching the mid to upper 70s. The Storm Prediction […]
Warm temperatures, strong t-storms create flood risk in Inland Northwest
Warm temperatures in the Inland Northwest this week have accelerated snowmelt. Broadly speaking, the snowpack in the Columbia River watershed remains healthy though it has dropped rapidly relative to climatological norms the last few days. Rapid melt periods are common during Spring and early Summer and the rate is likely to decrease into the weekend […]