April 22, 2020

April Showers Return

April showers have been celebrated in music and verse, and after a lapse in the April-shower department, it is evident that they have returned for at least the next fortnight.
When April showers may come your way
They bring the flowers that bloom in May

The forecast of the European Center model is enough to get a May-flower enthusiast excited, with 1-2 inches in the lowland and perhaps twice that in the mountains.   Southern California, sodden from unending precipitation during the past month, will dry out completely.


As indicated by the "plume diagram" showing precipitation at Seattle for the remainder of the month (this is from the National Weather eEnsemble system of 21 forecasts, the black line is the average of all of the predictions), there will be several light precipitation events.  Enough to keep things moist.  Flowers like that.

Our April shower regime is the result of the shrinkage and southward shift of the ridge of high pressure, which was protecting our region from Pacific weather systems.In the new configuration,  the Northwest is in the path of moderate,  moist southwesterly flow (see upper level map for next Tuesday to see what I mean), which will bring rain to the western side of the Cascades.


So when it is raining think about the upcoming flowers and next few lines of that famous song:

So when it's raining have no regrets
Because it isn't raining rain you know
It's raining violets


7 comments:

  1. This last graphic has no explanation, oh wait, I will just reinterpret what you stated earlier in the blog...As indicated by the "bloom diagram" showing precipitation at Seattle for the remainder of the month (this is from the National Weather eEnsemble system of 21 Florists, the blooms are an average of all of the predictions),there will be several light precipitation events. Hence, flowers like that.

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  2. Nice. I missed the rain. But I already dislike it again..

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  3. Cliff,

    How refreshing! Both the music and lyrics are charming. Thanks for reminding us of the coming violet days.

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  4. I am a 73yo resident of the Seattle/metro complex.....I love the rain!...after all, it is natures way of providing the lifeblood of water that makes our region so beautiful during much of the year...my mother tells me that, as a very young child, I would beg her to let me wear my big yellow raincoat, and just run around the backyard, enjoying the rain...nowadays, when I need a sleep aid, I listen to a rain tape, and drift away into dreamland...scientists tell us that this calming reaction has to do with what we all hear, weeks before birth--the flowing of momma's bloodstream. I believe it!

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  5. 0.53" of precip on 4/22 in NW Bellingham. This was the first day with measurable precip at my location since 4/3 and the most precip in a day since 2/5. Soil moisture levels in my backyard jumped, rather abruptly, this afternoon from 0.20-0.25 bar (adequately moist) to 0.05-0.03 bar (saturated).

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  6. I've said it before but one of the things about the West coast as opposed to the East, is that the length of wet spells, and also of dry spells, is longer, that is, it changes less often. But why?

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  7. A question...last night (23 April) at approximately 2145 we saw a prolonged bright flash across the sky, slightly south of us (Anacortes) and going from W to E. It looked like a disintegrating meteorite as there were what appeared to be multiple pieces (space debris?) . It tasted about 3 seconds, or more. Any explanation and did anyone else see it? pangaeamac@hotmail.com

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