Undergraduate Scholarship Fund in Honor of Steve Pool

Steve Pool was a leading television meteorologist in Seattle for nearly 40 years..... but he was so much more.

In addition to providing meteorological insights and weather education to millions of viewers across western Washington, Steve was among the first African-American TV weathercasters in the nation and frequently contributed to weather coverage on national programs such as Good Morning America.  

He was committed to the University of Washington and the UW Atmospheric Sciences department, establishing an internship program that trained dozens of UW students in broadcast meteorology, including current KOMO lead meteorologist, Shannon O’Donnell. 

Steve served as Master-of-Ceremony for many departmental and UW public outreach functions, greatly contributing to their attendance and success.  

He also fostered several public education activities, such as his annual weather program before a Seattle Mariners baseball game, with the effort staffed by UW Atmospheric Sciences undergraduates.

Steve passed away last fall, but his numerous contributions, extraordinary character, humor, and priorities don't have to be forgotten.

You can help.

A memorial undergraduate scholarship has been established in his honor (see below)

Once funded by contributions, this new undergraduate scholarship will provide financial assistance to promising Atmospheric Sciences students, fostering the training of the next generation of meteorologists and atmospheric scientists.

If you want to contribute or learn more about Steve, check out the webpage below.   Thanks so much....cliff

https://together.uw.edu/Campaign/steve-pool

More Rain for the Northwest is Good News for Wildfires

After a very pleasant dry spell, another rainy period is ahead for the western side of the region and the Cascades on Friday and Saturday.   And there is no hint of heat waves in our future.

Today and Thursday will be partly sunny, with highs in the upper 60s to low 70s in the west, with the Columbia Basin being about 10F warmer.   Typical June weather.

But on Friday, an upper-level low-pressure area (or trough) will be moving in (see below for 8 PM Friday), bringing clouds, showers, and cooler temperatures.

Such features have been persistent this spring.

The forecast 24-h precipitation total ending 5 PM Friday shows showers in the west, with the heaviest precipitation along the coast.  Eastside dry.

The next 24-h (ending 5 PM Saturday) is quite wet in the West, particularly over the western slopes and crest of the Cascades.  

Perhaps not the best day for a Cascade hike.

As the system passes through, the region will dry out on Father's Day (Sunday), except for a band of Puget Sound from the Puget Sound convergence zone and over northeast Washington.

The predicted temperatures for Seattle (below), show a substantial cool-down over the weekend (about 10F below normal on Saturday), but warming to near-normal conditions (low 70s) next week.   Again, add about 10F for the Columbia Basin.

All the gnashing of teeth and predictions about summer drought and wildfire by certain media outlets does not appear to be well-founded.  

Below is the latest one-week predicted significant fire potential by the Northwest Interagency Coordination Center, which is responsible for region wildfire prediction.  Green indicates below-normal potential.   Looks favorable.

The most skillful extended forecast is by the European Center and their latest guidance predicts COOLER than normal conditions for the next month over most of the region (see below)

Of course, we have the challenge of July 4th, where crazy people shooting fireworks start many fires. often in dry grass.  Hopefully, the grass will be moist this year.