There are many Native American stories about the origin of Northwest storms and rain, with my favorite being about the Thunderbird, a huge avian living in a cave of the Olympics. When it left its high abode to hunt for its favorite prey (the Killer Whale), storms, wind, and even lightning would occur.
If there was ever a month for Thunderbird flights, it would have to be November.
A tenth of an inch represents a decent wetting, and the frequency of that amount at Seattle Tacoma Airport is shown below. There is a clear peak: in mid-November! By December, there is already a bit of drying!
With this climatology in mind, let's look at the latest forecast for accumulating precipitation.
With a weather system coming in tonight and tomorrow, the total through Thursday morning is substantial, particularly on the Olympics and the coastal mountains.
An interesting aspect of the next two weeks will be the absence of major landfalling storms, with persistent low pressure staying offshore.
To illustrate, below is the sea level pressure forecast for tomorrow (Wednesday) morning. Huge low offshore.
Five days from now, another low will be offshore. No major power outages to be expected, with this pattern.
A relief for many.
I recorded the first freeze of the season at my location in Bellingham, yesterday, 11/4 with a temp of 31.8F at 5:44AM and 6:30AM. This morning, the temperature reached 62.1F from 7:44-7:45AM and 7:47-748AM - a 30.3 Fahrenheit degree temperature increase within just 26 hours!
ReplyDeleteThats an impressive difference in temperatures within such a short time frame! Freezing one night. Quite warm (by nighttime standards in this region) the next.
DeleteOnce those southeasterly winds kick up, it can really warm up in a hurry during autumn and winter around these parts. KBLI, a couple miles north of me, measured a 52mph gust and daily maximum temperature of 63F!
DeleteIf it weren't for the wind, it would be T-Shirt weather.
DeleteThe rain is certainly coming down at the coast. Plenty of wind, thunder, and lightening too. And don't forget the King Tides! Lots going on out here! Hoping things will calm down soon, in spite of all the rain coming our way.
ReplyDeleteIs there actually more thunder and lightning on the coast than in the Puget sound basin?
ReplyDeleteFor this particular storm, I don't know. However, from my expierence, thunderstorm chances do seem to appear in weather forecasts, particularly thosed issued by the NWS, for the coast more often than they do inland.
DeleteWow: You speak of Thunderbirds and lightning and then less than 24 hours later we have it! Nice….
ReplyDeleteOff topic, but a California law firm specializing in Sueing utilities for fire damage has arrived in Spokane, according to a Seattle Times article today. This topic needs academic and bipartisan solutions. People have built in the forests, formerly areas thought safe are threatened. Insurance is not covering losses at prices people can afford to pay. I worry that there may be no solution.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of birds, our migrating swans have yet to arrive. I have been keeping tabs on that on a iPhone note for a couple years. The latest was November 3 or November 1 or October 29, but never this late.
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