Weather reports on whatever I decide to report on.
An unusually strong area of high pressure is forecast to build over the Pacific Northwest during the next several days. The drought in place across much of the West (including the Columbia Basin) also adds a little to what temperatures the region may see. With soil moisture values low, there is little if any water […]
The National Drought Mitigation Center updates their Drought Monitor every Thursday, outlining the geographic details of drought conditions throughout North America. In today’s update, the extreme drought category was expanded to include much of Eastern Washington from the Tri-Cities northeast toward the Spokane area. Previously, only small sections near Prosser and Waitsburg were seeing extreme […]
The Tri-Cities Airport observed its first 100 degree reading Wednesday afternoon thanks to this early June heatwave, leading to a new record. The preliminary high temperature was 104°, beating the old record of 103° set in 1986. A heat advisory remains in effect for the Columbia Basin until 20:00 Thursday with upper 90s likely for […]
This Spring will go down as the third driest on record for the Tri-Cities as dry conditions continue to plague much of the American West. A total of 0.31 inches of rain was observed during the months of March, April, and May (meteorological spring). Tri-Cities Driest Springs Rank Year Precipitation 1 1964 0.06″ 2 1900 […]
Early Monday morning, the National Weather Service issued a heat advisory for the Columbia Basin. That advisory will still start at 11:00 Tuesday but now extends to 20:00 Thursday. It includes the Tri-Cities, Yakima, Walla Walla, Hermiston, and surrounding areas. FORECAST This heatwave comes just in time for the start of meteorological summer, which begins […]
The lowlands of the Inland Northwest should lose much of their snow this week as high temperatures slowly rise into the 40s. While some flooding may occur in small streams and low lying areas, larger rivers like the Umatilla, Walla Walla, and Yakima are forecast to remain below flood stage. The snow certainly is deep, […]
The first atmospheric river event of the season is taking aim for the Pacific Northwest, bringing widespread rain to the region beginning on the coast Tuesday night and spreading inland to moisten the ground in the Tri-Cities Wednesday night. It will be backed by a cold front spawned by a low pressure system that will […]
The heat wave that is gripping the Columbia Basin will draw to a close over the next day or so. The upper-level ridge of high pressure influencing the pattern over the Inland Northwest will start moving to the east, allowing a trough located offshore to migrate closer to the Pacific Northwest. With the approach of […]
A ridge of high pressure will build over the next couple days, bringing a steady climb to high temperatures across the Columbia Basin for the remainder of the week. Current indications are that highs will reach their peak Sunday with highs at or above 105°. The warmest locations will be in the lower elevations, such […]
On Thursday afternoon, the Tri-Cities Airport reached 110° for the first time in five years, but it didn’t stop there. Preliminary data from the National Weather Service shows the airport in Pasco reached a high of 111°, solidly beating the old record for July 30 which was 107° set in 2003. The Tri-Cities aren’t the […]