Monday's sun dogs accurately predict Tuesday's rain
Updated: 2012-02-29 21:23:27
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The Storm Prediction Center has placed north Alabama under a tornado watch until 9pm tonight. While the tornado threat is rather low, conditions are favorable for a spin up tornado or two for areas north of I 20/59. The best chance of tornadoes will occur across the Tennessee Valley of north Alabama. The counties included [...]
: . Cliff Mass Weather Blog This blog provides updated forecasts and comments on current weather or other topics Wednesday , February 29, 2012 Wet Snow and the Mt . Rainier Convergence Zone Many of you have noticed some wet snow mixed with the rain--even down to sea level . nbsp However , the heaviest accumulations occurred where the models suggested : nbsp southeast of the Olympic Mountains from Shelton to Silverdale to Quilcene . nbsp The reason : nbsp temperatures are marginal for snow and only places with heavy precipitation rates allow the snow level to fall to near sea level . nbsp More precipitation means more melting , which cools the atmosphere--allowing the freezing and snow levels to descend keep in mind the freezing level is typically about 1000 ft above the snow level the
Good Tuesday evening! It has been a mild and muggy day, with temperatures in the 60s. Many spots stayed below 70 degrees due to extra rain and thick clouds. With the dewpoint and air temperature so close together, some fog is starting to form across the area. If you have travel plans this evening or [...]
In the short term, we’re watching some light showers moving northeast across our area. Most of the rain you see on radar is very light, but there are a couple of heavier showers over Sumter, Perry and Shelby County. These showers are moving northeast at 20 to 30mph. At this point, there’s no lightning across [...]
Good Tuesday morning! Much of the area is dealing with some light showers, with pockets of heavy rain mixed in. With warm and moist air advection moving over our area, look for showers to continue to move through from time to time. Warm, moist air advection is a lifting process; if you have lift, you [...]
I had a great time speaking to the K-4 groups at First Baptist Church in downtown Tuscaloosa this morning. Here’s a picture of the rainbow cake they made! To say the least, the cake was awesome! I want to send a special thanks to Mrs. Dawn Godwin and the entire K-4 for inviting me to speak to [...]
Good Monday evening! Be sure to scroll down for my severe weather post. There’s a chance of severe weather late Wednesday and Late Friday. Both systems will bring the risk of damaging winds and hail, but Friday’s event is looking more likely to produce the threat of tornadoes locally. Today has been very nice, with [...]
Good Monday afternoon to you! It’s been a very nice day to be outdoors, with partly sunny skies and warm temperatures. Many spots have reached the lower 70s this afternoon, which is about 10 degrees above the normal for late February. We’re keeping an eye on two severe weather possibilities over the next 5 days. [...]
Some areas saw rain Sunday while others had a honest-to-goodness snow.
Then there were those that had none of the above -- but *something* was falling from the sky.
"The snow was more like round puffy snow or as my wife called them it, 'dippin dots,' " said Pete Matsudaira of Sammamish.
Colin Bradley of Port Angeles could attest to the same. In fact, he grabbed his camera, a ruler and some spare change to help highlight the strange precipitation that sort of looked like hail, but was soft to the touch.
But it's no mystery. That's just "graupel."
We’ll start the week with another dry day. Some warm temperatures as the afternoon high approaches 70 degrees. Temperatures this week will be above normal approaching 80 degrees on Wednesday. The next system moves out of the Rockies and into the northern plains on Tuesday night and Wednesday. Deep southerly winds kick in across Central [...]
More beautiful conditions for our Sunday. Increasing clouds into the day on Monda. There could be enough moisture from the south for some parts of the area to see a sprinkle or two overnight Monday but the best chance of rain comes midweek. Tuesday through Saturday, there are two systems of interest that could affect [...]
: Cliff Mass Weather Blog This blog provides updated forecasts and comments on current weather or other topics Saturday , February 25, 2012 Puget Sound Convergence Zone Snow Updated We have a fairly strong convergence zone going on this morning , with a moderate precipitation rate , plus much colder air over us--the result has been some light snow , particularly places that have a little . elevation Here is the latest radar 8:30 AM in fact , we have two convergence zones right now . one in the lee of the Olympics and the other in the lee of the mountains of Vancouver . Island The latest Seattle Profiler data shows the decline of the freezing level to roughly 1500 ft , and thus the snow level to 500 ft or even a bit lower in heavier . precipitation This is virtual temperatures , subtract
: , , Cliff Mass Weather Blog This blog provides updated forecasts and comments on current weather or other topics Thursday , February 23, 2012 Lowland Snow Showers , Cold Air , and Strong Winds A lot of action coming up , including a good chance that some lowland folks will spot a few snowflakes . Note to TV stations : nbsp no big lowland snowstorms A strong Pacific front is approaching us now , behind which there is some cold air . nbsp Here is the forecast for tomorrow afternoon of sea level pressure , near surface winds , and lower atmosphere temperatures---you can see a very nice windshift with the . front This pattern will produce strong SE winds over NW Washington--something that often happens BEFORE the front passes . through As the front moves through , not only does cold air
: Cliff Mass Weather Blog This blog provides updated forecasts and comments on current weather or other topics Thursday , February 23, 2012 The Spada Lake Anomaly There is a precipitation anomaly around here that is rarely . discussed In many ways , it is the anti-Sequim , . anti-rainshadow A place of extraordinary precipitation near Puget . Sound I am talking about the Spada Lake . anomaly Let us begin by talking about the mountain foothills , east and northeast of Everett , much of it in the Sultan River watershed . nbsp On the map below , nbsp Spada Lake is labeled and the red A is at . Verlot Spada Lake is circled During the 48 hrs ending Wednesday at 8 AM , Spada Lake got over TEN inches of rain 10.47 inches no other regional station was close . nbsp On average , the surrounding
: , , Cliff Mass Weather Blog This blog provides updated forecasts and comments on current weather or other topics Tuesday , February 21, 2012 Heavy Rain , Avalanches , and Reduce Threat of Lowland Snow While central and western Puget Sound experienced a nearly rain-free day , very heavy rain has struck the western slopes of the Cascades . nbsp Take a look at the current upper level pattern see below one with a broad ridge over the eastern Pacific and you might think that nothing much is happening , but such a ridge brings warmer temperatures and strong westerly northwesterly winds the produce heavy precipitation as they rise on the western slopes of the Olympics and Cascades . nbsp Many such windward locations have had 2-4 inches over the past day , with Spada Lake , northeast of Everett 
: Cliff Mass Weather Blog This blog provides updated forecasts and comments on current weather or other topics Sunday , February 19, 2012 Chance of Lowland Snow Next Weekend I have gotten about a dozen emails the last few days asking about the potential for snow next weekend . nbsp I am going to break my normal 120 hr rule don't talk about forecasts for more than 5 days out because uncertainty is so large Yes , the forecast patterns from a number of major modeling systems have produced configurations in the neighborhood of what might produce snow . but to get lowland snow you need to be more than in the neighborhood . details are . everything First , lets consider climatology . nbsp January is the the month with the greatest snowfall over the NW lowlands , but we still can get significant
: Cliff Mass Weather Blog This blog provides updated forecasts and comments on current weather or other topics Friday , February 17, 2012 Big Winds in the Morning A strong low pressure center is going to move across northern Washington tomorrow Sat morning and the winds will be very strong . there will certainly be some power outages . nbsp In the infrared satellite this evening you can clearly see the swirl of clouds with this : low Here is the surface chart for 10 AM tomorrow--nice low center right in the sweet spot for Puget Sound winds . nbsp Very like pressure gradient south and southwest of the low . nbsp Gust over the water to 50-60 mph are quite . possible And here is the 4-km WRF model wind predictions for 8 AM . nbsp Very strong winds along the coast , and over the waters of NW
: Cliff Mass Weather Blog This blog provides updated forecasts and comments on current weather or other topics Thursday , February 16, 2012 The Northwest Death Zone for Pacific Fronts Living in the interior of western Washington or Oregon , or anywhere east of the Cascades , we must live with a reality : nbsp our frontal passages are generally really . wimpy You live on the central Plains of the U.S . or even much of the East Coast , when a front goes by , you know it . nbsp Big wind shifts , large 10-20F or more temperature drops , heavy precipitation with the front , and after the front goes through things dry and clear out . quickly Approaching strong cold front over the central . U.S Frontal passage over the Puget Sound region Very weak cooling after frontal passage generally not more
: : Cliff Mass Weather Blog This blog provides updated forecasts and comments on current weather or other topics Thursday , February 16, 2012 Northwest Weather Workshop : March 2-3 The Northwest Weather Workshop is the big annual meeting for those interested in Northwest Weather , including professional meteorologists and other all others interested in the topic . nbsp This year it starts on Friday , March 2 at 1 PM and runs through the mid-afternoon on Saturday , March 3. Location : nbsp the NOAA Sand Point facility in north Seattle . nbsp On Friday we will start by talking about the huge advances in local weather radar observations and then you will hear talks on everything from floods to road weather . nbsp Saturday we get serious about local forecasting and regional weather phenomena .
: Cliff Mass Weather Blog This blog provides updated forecasts and comments on current weather or other topics Tuesday , February 14, 2012 The Longest Forecast What are the longest regular numerical weather forecasts made by the National Weather Service and what do they show for this spring First , a definition---a numerical weather forecast begins with a description of the atmosphere at one time and then using a computer model of the atmosphere to predict the exact state of the atmosphere at future times . nbsp Like the temperature in Cleveland at 2 PM three days from now . nbsp Or the exact position and pressure of a low pressure center in four days . nbsp This compares with predicting climate by which we the temporal mean or average state of the atmosphere over some location or . region
: Cliff Mass Weather Blog This blog provides updated forecasts and comments on current weather or other topics Friday , February 10, 2012 An Unusual Ridge That Won't Go Away For those wanting a return of real winter cold , snow , big storms , floods time is running out . nbsp Really big events are rare after February 25th west of the Cascades , with the potential for significant lowland snow fading out after the first week of March . nbsp But there is something beyond time that is making a big weather event less likely : nbsp the persistence of an upper level ridge over the west coast . nbsp Ridges--regions of higher pressure-- work against big weather in a number of ways : nbsp they shunt the jet stream . the conduit for storms . well to the north . nbsp Ridges are also associated with
: Cliff Mass Weather Blog This blog provides updated forecasts and comments on current weather or other topics Monday , February 6, 2012 The Weather Battle Tuesday Morning : Update The pressure different across the mountains has grown to roughly 9 mb and downslope winds along the western Cascade slopes have increased . nbsp Gust of 70 mph reported at Enumclaw . Very strong winds also gusting to 70 mph on the western side of the Columbia . Gorge A heroic meteorological conflict has been taking place between two implacable foes : nbsp 1 easterly winds passing over the Cascades and moving down its western slopes , and 2 a low-level inversion or cold stable air layer near the surface . nbsp When 1 wins , the temperatures stay warm at night or surge upwards . nbsp If 2 prevails , the location
: Cliff Mass Weather Blog This blog provides updated forecasts and comments on current weather or other topics Friday , February 3, 2012 High Pressure Surprises A ridge of high pressure spreads over the region , with generally clear , skies , lots of sun , and no precipitation . nbsp Time to forget about the weather No way . a great deal of interesting action , from extraordinary high temperatures , gale-force winds , air quality problems , freezing fog , and an upper ridge that is amazingly . persistent With an upper level ridge overhead and the associated high pressure to the west of us , a very large east-west pressure gradient developed over the Cascades , approaching 10.5 mb earlier today . nbsp Washington State Sea Level Pressure Forecast for 10AM this Morning . big gradient over the
: Cliff Mass Weather Blog This blog provides updated forecasts and comments on current weather or other topics Thursday , February 2, 2012 GroundFrog versus GroundHog As an atmospheric scientist , my role is to interpret a wide range of information . even unconventional information . to provide new insights into meteorological phenomenon . nbsp I will do so here . nbsp During the last week , two animal prognosticators have provided a vision of the weather future that are seemingly at odds , but really . aren't The Snohomish GroundFrog reveals his secrets On one hand there is the well-known frogprognosticator of Snohomish , Washington--otherwise known as the GroundFrog . nbsp At a solemn ceremony on Saturday , the wise frog predicted good weather for the remainder of the winter for the