The precipitation for the past 4 weeks at Sea Tac (see below, red line is observed precipitation, blue line is normal), tells the story. After a relatively wet period during mid-May, the rain gauge nearly flatlined during the last two weeks.
Today's temps were well above normal, with a number of sites getting into the mid-80s around Puget Sound and SW Washington. You don't want to know about Portland and the Willamette Valley.
However, the latest infrared satellite image (see below) suggests major change, as an impressive area of clouds approaches the West Coast. Rain will arrive late Wednesday night.
The clouds are associated with a huge upper trough of low pressure that will amplify over the eastern Pacific. Here is the impressive upper level height forecast for 8 AM Friday---pretty amazing for this time of year. A strong jet stream (where the lines are close together) pushes far south into northern CA.
The forecast 24h precipitation totals ending 5 AM Thursday show the initial pulse of overnight precipitation.
You won't need an air conditioner or a fan after tomorrow for quite a while.
Wednesday will get near 80F for some, but after that we will fall into the 60s for a least a week.
I don't care if don't see rain for another two months. This last rainy season was brutal.
ReplyDeleteFor the record rain falling from the sky is not a welcome sight to many fruit and vegetable producers. While plants need water in the root zone it need not come from the air, for quality produce consumers demand.
ReplyDeleteRain rots fruit, causes blights and disease, increases the need for herbicide and pesticides, increases carbon emissions , because of increased tillage to control all the weeds rain triggers.
Think about it the majority of the world's produce are grown in deserts, like California's Imperial valley.
Even in suburbia, it increases lawn mowing, so more carbon in the atmosphere.
The perciptation chart presented goes out through June 17th, it is only the 7th so as of now we are average for perciptation. Likely by the 17th, we will add another 30 day period of above average perciptation! (A long string of those since last fall!!!!!)
Yeah but I like my bon fires. So we need rain to keep the fire bans away.
DeleteThe land needs the rain. People are optional.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteWow, just read in Scott's blog it was the second wettest spring in 123 years!!!
ReplyDeleteWow. Now that is a little wet.
Also found it interesting that we (Washington) were the ONLY state that has had below average temperature since January.
Only state!