An Extraordinary Inversion, Twinkling Lights, and the Return of Rain

This morning, an extraordinary low-level inversion (temperature increasing with height) developed over the western Washington lowlands.

For example,  at 4 AM, the temperature around SeaTac Airport rose from 41F to 56F (15F increase!!) between the surface and 1000 ft.

You could see the large temperature variations at the surface, such as in this plot of the minimum temperatures this morning, with temperatures ranging from 29 to 53F.   Just amazing.

The extreme temperature change in the inversion produced an atmospheric lens that caused lights to flicker when viewed from above.

To illustrate, there is a video taken from above the inversion by Peter Benda, who lives at high elevation in the hills above Bellevue.

The inversion was associated with a transient area of high pressure, which now moved to the east.

In its wake, precipitation has FINALLY moved in, as noted by the latest radar image:

Weather forecast models are predicting one rain event after another during the next few days, with the heaviest amounts in southwest British Columbia and northwest Washington (see totals through Friday afternoon below).

You will need to find your umbrella😊