As noted in my previous blog, the meteorology of much of the summer has been dominated by high pressure offshore, resulting in a warmer and drier-than-normal period.
But this week it all changed, with low pressure---also called troughing-- gaining the upper hand.
Consider the infrared satellite image earlier this morning (below). A low center was positioned over southwest Washington, with a plume of moisture circulating around.
That moisture originated in the famous Southwest (or North American) monsoon. The same monsoon that brought heavy rain and a dust storm to the Phoenix area.
But as this low moves out today, ANOTHER low is ready to move in! The water vapor satellite imagery this morning shows the low lurking offshore. A larger low.
A sequence of forecast upper-level (500 hPa, about 18,000 ft) weather maps provides the "lowdown" on the situation.
Tomorrow morning at 5 AM, the low is off the southern Oregon Coast.
With a low offshore, the winds will be very modest over the region.
NWS Spokane says this low will retrograde, which will allow Eastern Washington to warm back to high 90s low 100s, here the Okanogan Valley, weather.com shows mid toupper 90s Sarirday om and low 100s for 4 days. Summee os not over. Yuck.
ReplyDeleteWould also love some more fall-like weather, but at least, according to this analysis, we aren't in store for any events like the offshore winds that caused the Labor Day fires in 2020.
ReplyDeleteCliff, thank you for doing this, but when is the HUMIDITY going to drop? The temperature can drop all it wants, but until the humidity drops it's still stuffy as hell in Seattle, and out and out UNCOMFORTABLE. My house has been like a sauna since last Wednesday and simply walking across University Village this afternoon was awful, I was drenched in sweat by the time we got to the "spitting frog" fountain.
ReplyDeleteWhen will the wildfire smoke diminish? It’s been over 50 AQI in the Snoqualmie Valley since Monday with no end in sight according to the current 7-day forecast and the farmers out here are getting sick.
ReplyDeleteThis month will be among the top-10 hottest Augusts on record at KBLI.
ReplyDeleteThe sensor is near the coffee pots
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