What is Spring?
As summarized in this newsletter, it was a remarkably cool and wet April for Washington state in 2011. All the grumbling about the lousy weather, in particular the common lament that it seemed like winter was never going to end, begs an interesting question.
Read moreA Wet Spring
You’re not imagining it – spring has been gloomier than normal this year around WA. Not only has it been relatively cool across the state, but most locations have been wetter than normal as well.
Read moreA Review of Winter 2010-2011
During the autumn of 2010, there was considerable media interest in anticipation of the forthcoming winter being cold and wet in WA as a result of the relatively strong La Niña in the equatorial Pacific Ocean.
Read moreAssessing One’s Carbon Footprint
The issue of global warming may seem remote to many residents of the Pacific Northwest, especially as winter weather has returned with a vengeance at the time of this writing. Nevertheless, global warming and climate change are real, and will have serious repercussions for the environment and human society.
Read moreOn the Interannual Variability of the Costliest Weather Events in WA State
WA gets its fair share of nasty weather, and these weather events can cause millions of dollars in damages. The types of events that have the biggest impacts, however, vary markedly from year to year (and do not always make headlines).
Read moreMid-Winter La Niña Update
The La Niña winter is now halfway over, and with the recent mild temperatures experienced around the state this January, it is a good time to evaluate how this winter is shaping up.
Read morePollution due to Wood Smoke and the Weather of WA State
Air quality is often good in the Pacific Northwest due to the prevailing west to east winds off the North Pacific. There are exceptions to this situation, of course, during which residents of Washington are exposed to hazardous levels of air pollution.
Read moreOn the Weather Forecasts made by the Old Farmer’s Almanac
One way to annoy many meteorologists is to suggest that the weather forecasts from the Old Farmer’s Almanac (OFA) are more skillful than those from the National Weather Service. I certainly share this peeve, and so on a lark some years ago, I decided to determine for myself whether the OFA forecasts for the Pacific Northwest had merit.
Read moreLowland Snow and ENSO Relationship
The relationship between the phase of the El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and WA climate is well documented, as has been discussed frequently in our monthly newsletters (most specific: October 2010). In general, La Niña conditions tilt the odds towards a wetter than normal WA fall and a colder than normal WA winter.
Read moreLa Niña and the Weather of WA State
The weather of the Pacific Northwest during the coming months, or otherwise known as the cool season, is impacted by the atmosphere-ocean system of the tropical Pacific. This region is currently experiencing what is termed La Nina, and this condition is expected to persist into 2011.
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