Bad News. Clouds will Obscure the Meteors for Most of Washington State

I am disappointed.   It looks like clouds will make viewing of the meteor shower tonight impossible for most residents in Washington State.

The lastest visible satellite image shows lots of clouds over the region.  But the real threats are the clouds stretching from the WA Cascade to the east.  High clouds that are moving westward over towards western WA.  There are lower clouds over NW Oregon...they will evaporate around sunset.


The infrared satellite image, which accentuates high clouds (white) show the problematic cloud field clearly.


The very latest NOAA/NWS HRRR forecast of clouds at 10 PM tonight (the time of max meteors) shows 100% clouds (blue colors) over much of Washington, but low cloud cover over parts of western Oregon.   

Northwest Oregon is where you need to go if you are a serious meteor watcher.  And the further south you go, the earlier the sunset...another advantage!


The latest forecast of the NOAA/NWS National Blend of Models provides a similar story (see below).


Sorry to be the source of bad news..... I love astronomy and almost went that way for my career--so I am particularly unhappy to miss a potentially major meteor storm.

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