Weather reports on whatever I decide to report on.
Note: This article is using the meteorological definition for fall, which is September 1 to November 30. The first half of meteorological fall is September 1 to October 15. The weather pattern over the Western United States has been dominated by persistent upper level ridging for several weeks, leading to above average temperatures and below […]
The first half of October brought mostly sunny skies and warm temperatures to the Pacific Northwest as a persistent ridge of high pressure sat overhead, forcing the storm track into Southeast Alaska. The Tri-Cities have recorded ten days with highs at or above 80° so far this month, tying the record set in 1945. Temperatures […]
A building ridge of high pressure this week is forecast to bring a late-season heatwave to the Pacific Northwest. This has prompted the National Weather Service in Pendleton to issue a heat advisory from 11:00 to 20:00 Wednesday for the Lower Columbia Basin and Yakima Valley. This includes the Tri-Cities, Yakima, and Hermiston, but excludes […]
Satus Pass is a small mountain pass on the east side of the Cascades. Traversed by US 97, the pass lies between Goldendale to the south and Toppenish to the north. The ridge the pass cuts through forms the southern boundary of the Yakama Nation in this part of the region. To the south, land […]
For the first time since November 2019, the Tri-Cities is no longer listed as having drought or abnormally dry conditions according to the National Drought Mitigation Center, which maintains the U.S. Drought Monitor. The scale this center uses starts with abnormally dry (D0) then proceeds from moderate drought (D1) to exceptional drought (D4). At the […]
Monsoon moisture is surging into the Inland Northwest Tuesday evening as an upper level low spins off the coast of Oregon. On Monday, I reported that Wednesday was likely to see thunderstorm activity pushed eastward into Idaho and Utah because of how close the low was expected to be to the Washington coast. Updated models […]
Over the next couple of days, the Columbia Basin is forecast to see highs in the 100s, prompting the National Weather Service to issue a heat advisory for the region. It is in effect from 12:00 Monday to 23:00 Tuesday. This heatwave is much smaller and shorter in comparison to the one at the end […]
Fall is my favorite season, and one of the signs of the season’s approach is the first winter storm warning of the year in the country. Not shockingly, this almost always occurs in Alaska and 2022 is no different. An upper level low pressure system is moving from the Russian Far East into Alaska, bringing […]
Well below average temperatures were observed throughout the Inland Northwest Friday as an upper level trough makes its way through British Columbia. The Tri-Cities recorded a high of 84° on Friday. The average for this time of year is in the mid 90s. Temperatures warm some Saturday, but will only be near average. The bulk […]
The heatwave that gripped the Pacific Northwest since the last week of July is finally drawing to a close, leaving behind several new temperature records. This event came during what is climatologically the hottest time of the year for the Tri-Cities meaning that the bar was already pretty high for temperature records. This heatwave extended […]