The radar image around 6 PM shows precipitation moving in from two directions: precipitation from a Pacific front approaching southwest British Columbia and the northwest tip of the Olympic Peninsula, and thunderstorms over eastern Oregon.
The visible satellite image at about the same time shows the two features clearly.
The front will move through on Wednesday, bringing cool/wet conditions to western Washington and the Cascades. A welcome break that will moisten the surface and lessen the wildfire threat.
The total precipitation through 5 PM Wednesday is shown below. A significant wetting of the western side of the Olympics and the north Cascades.
What makes this event particularly favorable is that southwest Canada will get plenty of rain (see forecast below for the next few days), which means less smoke for the Northwest.
So far, wildfire smoke has been minimal over the region and wildfire acreage has been well below normal (see the WA DNR numbers below).
Tomorrow temperatures will only be in the 60s west of the Cascade crest, but warmer conditions will soon follow (see forecast temps below at Seattle ).
No major heatwaves, with temperatures in the 90s. Add 10F for the Columbia Basin, with highs approaching 100F on many days:
This is why I rarely leave the safety of my basement man cave
ReplyDeleteLooks like it will hardly make a dent in this year's rainfall deficit. I wish we could get a decent thunderstorm once in a while. A decent thunderstorm can drop an inch of rain in less than an hour.
ReplyDeleteA decent thunderstorm can help make up for a rain deficit, but it can also produce dangerous lightening that can start new wildfires, strong winds that cause damage to homes, businesses, and infrastructure, and flooding if the storm drains can't keep up with the rain. That's a lot of potential risks just for an inch of rain.
DeleteJust an east coaster nostalgic for our wild weather, that's me... and they have enough humidity that fires are rare.
DeleteYesterday as the current weather system was rolling in over the central Olympics there was some amazing cloud iridescence happening. That was the first time I had seen that with my own eyes. Are there certain atmospheric conditions or geographic locations that would predict instances of cloud iridescence?
ReplyDeletedon't ya hate when the models are wrong? It's like they were created by humans or something.
ReplyDeleteJno62 Yes... 5 PM and still not a drop of rain in Bothell- despite relatively high humidity.
DeleteIt rained lightly throughout much of Grays Harbor County and Hwy 8 through the hills west of Olympia today, so the models weren't entirely wrong. The cooler temperatures were a nice reprieve from the summer warmth that we will long for when it gets hot again.
DeleteNo rain in Kitsap 😢
ReplyDeleteThats a bummer. Hope you get some soon.
DeleteThanks for the heads-up, Cliff. The cooler temps and rain are a real relief, especially with wildfire season around!
ReplyDelete