Here is a marvelous satellite picture, taken 2:30 PM this afternoon. You can see the line-up for this weekend in this visible satellite image (click for a larger version). The first cyclone (low pressure center) is off the coast--you can see the spiraling clouds (the low center is in the middle of the spiral). A front radiates from the low and the clouds is rapidly approaching the coast.Further offshore you see a vigorous, younger system--note the spiral is not complete yet. The thin line of enhanced cloud extended roughly east-west south of the young system is a rope cloud, a line of cumulus and cumulonimbus that mark the position of the cold front. And north of the young system is a large field of open cellular convection, convective clouds associated with cold air moving over warmer water.
And here is another pretty graphic...the latest 24h precipitation ending 5 PM on Saturday. Heavy rain on the southwest side of the Olympics and the Willapa Hills of SW Washington (and Vancouver Island and the north Cascades) and a beautiful rain shadow to the northeast of those mountains. Those folks in Sequim may be golfing tomorrow while the rest of us get wet.
Bottom line: satellite imagery and model output are sometimes so attractive you could hang it up on your wall!
Hello Cliff, ..
ReplyDeleteHave noted, that over the 3 or 4 days, broader cold air has slowed its main more eastward pace and progress markedly. ? And that, with this, it looks to being doing so still at this point. ?
Yea Cliff
ReplyDeleteThat is a great picture. I like these fall/winter sat pics. Almost as good as my other favorite; pyrocumulus streaming from a point on the map
I was thinking the same thing! The water vapor imagery is even more dramatic - http://www.atmos.washington.edu/images/sat_common/201010082130_wv.gif
ReplyDelete(2:30 P.M.)
The afternoon ended up a whole lot nicer than I expected based on the morning NWS forecast! The day started out cloudy with occasional drizzle, as predicted, but turned mostly sunny with excellent visibility by midafternoon. (At least at Mt. Pilchuck where we were.)
ReplyDeleteit barely rained here in chehalis friday night. it was more windy than wet.
ReplyDeleteWow! I have never seen such amazing photos. Where did you get them? I would like to know. I think if we knew we could definitely see more.
ReplyDeleteI love it when you explain, as you did particularly with the first photo, exactly what it is that we're looking at. Makes me feel as though I were in your meteorology class, where I would love to be were I fifty years younger and ninety miles closer!
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