Tri-Cities sees earliest 80°F high on record, Walla Walla and Hermiston also see record temps

The warmest day of the week was able to produce record highs in the Tri-Cities and Walla Walla on March 19. Additionally, Hermiston tied their existing record for that date. Low elevation spots on the Hanford Site, around the Tri-Cities, and in the Hermiston area were able to tap 80°F (27°C) with widespread 70s (21-26°C) […]

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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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Portland gets first high above 70°F for 2024

Friday brought Portland’s first afternoon with temperatures above 70°F (21°C) for 2024 with a high of 71°F (22°C) at Portland International Airport. Numerous other stations throughout lowland areas of Western Oregon and parts of Western Washington also achieved 70°, though the Puget Sound Region missed out. This comes as a ridge of high pressure builds […]

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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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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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Columbia Basin dry for the weekend but showers return Monday

Some drizzle was observed in the Tri-Cities area Thursday and Friday as a low pressure system worked its way through the region. That low is on its way east to bring some snow to the Plains and Canadian Prairies (with sharp temperature drops in places like Winnipeg). The Columbia Basin will be in between regional […]

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GALLERY: Awesome pictures of Tuesday’s storm in Benton City

Tuesday brought scattered thunderstorms to the area. Most of these storms were concentrated around the mountains, but around 7:45 pm a storm formed that brought heavy rain, hail, and frequent lightning to Benton City. This storm produced quarter-size hail, which was the only severe weather report yesterday in the entire country west of Interstate 25. […]

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