Under the Weather

There’s no mistaking that spring has arrived now—it’s been absolutely gorgeous these past few days! But the best is yet to come. As I discussed in last week’s article, an upper ridge of high pressure is responsible for our nice weather. The way this ridge is positioned with adjacent troughs is known as an omega…

It kind of seems like our seasons just can’t make up their mind right now, doesn’t it? We have a couple days of sun, then the rain returns again. Temperatures get close to 60 one day before tumbling again into low 50s or upper 40s the next. Thankfully, it’s looking like we will see our…

It’s hard to believe that April is already here—we’re already a quarter of the way through 2021. That just blows my mind. The month of March ended up being slightly below average in terms of temperatures, with our first 60-degree day of the year occurring on March 13. The total amount of precipitation for the…

Spring has officially sprung! After daylight saving time, we’ve also added an extra hour of daylight—it’s amazing what that additional hour can do, isn’t it? It really is starting to feel like spring. Since the start of meteorological spring, we are running a little bit behind normal in terms of precipitation; as of March 24,…

For those of you that are so ready for winter to be over, the weekend you have been looking for is just about here. Astronomical spring officially starts on Saturday! We’ve gotten a tease the past few days of what weather to expect more of in the coming weeks. It’s been a gorgeous few days,…

According to the calendar, it still is technically winter, but it definitely felt more like spring than winter in the past few days. With the exception of some pop-up convective showers in some places, we have been predominantly dry since Sunday. In fact, at Paine Field, there has been no measurable rainfall since Sunday. This…

In the eyes of meteorologists, it is finally spring. Although astronomical spring doesn’t begin for a couple more weeks, meteorological spring officially arrived on Monday. I don’t know about you, but it definitely felt like spring on Wednesday. What a gorgeous day! Just for fun, let’s take a look back at our meteorological winter as…

Another week of winter down, another week closer to spring! Although astronomical spring (traditional seasons) begins on March 20, meteorological spring actually begins on Monday. You can read more about the differences between astronomical and meteorological seasons here. For those counting down the days until summer, this is likely music to your ears. We are getting…

How about that snow this past weekend? I honestly couldn’t stop grinning—it was just so pretty! Even though it was an amazing sight to see, it did cause a lot of problems, primarily for people trying to get around on the roads. I braved the streets Saturday night, and I was basically driving on a…

A couple weeks ago, I wrote these words: “Don’t lose hope just yet if you want to see snow in the lowlands this winter—we still have February! I may or may not be rooting for a repeat performance of February 2019.” Lo and behold, I may be getting my wish. By now, most of you…

It’s hard to believe that we are already over a month into 2021—where does the time go? And in terms of weather, one word describes the year so far quite well: wet. In last week’s article, I mentioned how I was interested as to where the month of January would rank in terms of total…

Well, as you could probably tell, besides a few stray snowflakes that fell Tuesday night, it didn’t snow. Sorry, fellow snow-lovers. The ingredients just did not all come together like they needed to. So far, the snowfall for our area has been almost abysmal—with the only accumulating snowfall of the season (albeit very minimal) falling…

The sight of that four-letter word tends to bring either excitement or dread to those here in the Pacific Northwest. Let’s face it: Snow can be a huge disruption to our daily lives. February 2019 was an excellent example of that. Because of the impact it can have, people pay a little extra attention to…

2021 continues throwing us for a loop in terms of weather, doesn’t it? The rain keeps piling up, and to make things interesting, we had a decent windstorm thrown into the mix. Through the first 13 days of the year, Paine Field has accumulated a whopping 5.36 inches of rainfall—a staggering 14.87% of the normal…

We are already a week into 2021, and what a soggy start to the year it’s been! I love the rain, and even I was starting to think it was a little much. If you were thinking the same thing, you are not wrong—it has rained a lot. Let’s take a look at the numbers….

Well, everybody, we finally did it. We made it through 2020. A lot has happened this year, but I hope that everyone is able to find something to be grateful for as we head into the new year. In terms of precipitation, Paine Field wraps up the year just slightly above average, with the normal…

For the month of December thus far, we are running behind in terms of average total precipitation. Through Dec. 16, Paine Field has registered 1.12 inches of rain in the gauge. The normal amount for the same time frame is 2.66 inches. However, we are expected to play catchup this weekend, as a couple storms—including…

We’ve all heard the song lyric, “I’m dreaming of a white Christmas, just like the ones I used to know…” There’s just something about snow on Christmas that makes it a little bit more special (although I’ll take snow any day of the year). Believe it or not, there is a meteorological definition for what…

It is the most wonderful time of the year! Winter is finally here, at least to meteorologists and other weather enthusiasts, and it makes me excited for the possibility of scenes like the picture above. Meteorological winter officially arrived Dec. 1, ahead of its astronomical counterpart. (You can read more about meteorological and astronomical seasons…

It is a little hard to believe, but Thanksgiving week is here. Even though this year looks a little different than previous years, we can still make the most of it. Some of you may be attempting to have outdoor gatherings this year, and if that’s you, you are probably very interested in whether it…

After being hit with several storms over the past couple weeks, we are finally expecting a break from the crazy weather. November tends to be the wettest month of the year, and it definitely seems like we’re living up to that expectation. Interestingly enough, through the first 18 days of the month, we are actually…

We are no stranger to storms impacting our area, especially during this time of year. Most of us are used to the rain and wind that accompany these storms. However, sometimes the winds associated with these storms are especially powerful and can really pack a punch. Our region avoids the dangers of hurricanes and strong…

It has been quite the wet week so far, hasn’t it? Multiple storms have impacted us this week, bringing decent amounts of rainfall over the area. Above is a map showing some precipitation totals for this week through 4 p.m. Thursday. As you can see, totals primarily ranged between a half inch and one inch….

Around here, November is typically the wettest month of the year in terms of average total precipitation. You can see in the above graphic that the normal amount of total precipitation for the month of November is just over six inches, higher than every other month. The number of storms tend to ramp up this…

This Halloween is poised to be one like no other, with the normal festivities having to be altered or even cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But for those still venturing out for some safe fun, it is important to keep the weather in mind. In a year that has been anything but ordinary, will…