Question 1: The cumulative precipitation at Seattle Tacoma Airport over the past six months has been:
1. Way below normal
2. Normal
3. Way above normal
The answer, shown by the plot of cumulative precipitation, is ALMOST EXACTLY NORMAL. Our spring was wetter than normal, then almost no precipitation in July and August, followed by roughly five inches since mid-October.
1. Way below normal
2. Normal
3. Way above normal
The answer is ALMOST EXACTLY NORMAL.
1. Way below normal
2. Normal
3. Way above normal
4. Slightly above normal
5. Moderately below normal
The answer: slightly above normal.
Now you want want to see something that is really amazing? Here is the upper level (500 hPa) map forecast for Thursday at 11 PM. A HUGE ridge of high height (or pressure). Expect temperatures in the mid-60s for Thursday and Friday.
The ridge will still be in place Saturday afternoon at 5 PM. Get outside..it will be wonderful. Any good weather this time of the year is a gift from the weather gods.
Meanwhile Sunnyvale California reached a record high of 92.3 today, and record highs were recorded throughout the LA basin.
ReplyDeleteCliff... are you saying that a long period of drought bookended by periods of far above average precipitation is the same climaticly as a more typical distribution of precipitation? The phrase "it all comes out in the wash" seems intended to suggest that whether we have a normal distribution of rainfall or one with greater extremes that these are somehow equivelent.
ReplyDeleteIts certainly an interesting point that we have normal annual precipitation after a years tally, but the year is one characterized by extremes (for us) of climate.
Time to rinse the gutters and do some power washing this weekend. Hot diggity dawg!
ReplyDeletePort Angeles saw about 1.5" mid-May to mid-Oct.; normal would be close to 3.9". Very stressful to plant life, and the third such summer in a row. Insects have been less abundant, and so have the birds that eat them, esp. the flycatcher types. Yes, we have enough water to drink but things have been rough in the forest.
ReplyDeleteI'm in LA on business. Had to attend an outdoor meeting Tuesday at 1:30 pm. It was miserable! Temp in my car said 104°. Wish I were home!
ReplyDeleteNORMAL? NORMAL? NORMAL????
ReplyDeleteOH. MY. GOSH!!!
IT MUST BE GLOBAL WARMING THAT IS CAUSING THIS!!!!
(I read about this on the Intranets)
Lolol
DeleteA gift indeed! Glorious colors too vibrant for the imagination or camera. Go see them.
ReplyDeleteCliff, not related to this entry, but check out the UW radar yesterday. I think I noticed a ball of Geese flocking off the SE Washington coast and later there were flocks inline travelling through western Washington into Oregon.
ReplyDeletePerhaps you could show screenshots of their travels?
Thanks, Gary Anshutz, Burlington Washington
This year didn't feel normal. What about statistical data on variation from the norm during the course of the year. How does this compare with historical average deviations?
ReplyDeleteA sub-lesson is that abnormally dry weather in summer tends not to matter much for us in terms of overall precipitation. You can't get drier than zero precipitation, and because we normally don't get much anyhow, even zero ends up being not that much drier than normal in absolute terms.
ReplyDelete