Wetand News

Last night, as the sun was setting on the Olympics, the approaching California smoke was apparent.   Listen on Google Podcasts KNKX and Cancel Culture is found  style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;">here .

 An unwanted California import is now approaching and on satellite photos its ominous tendrils are reminiscent of dementors and deadly hallows of Harry Potter fame. A recent (11 AM)  visible satellite image is worrisome (see below), with northward-bound smoke from California now extending over most of the Oregon coast and starting to extend above the southern Willamette Valley. style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;">here .

I am really sorry to be the messenger for ill news. But smoke is coming back to the Northwest later tomorrow and will be with us for several days. California smoke. style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;">here . My 101 Class As I have mentioned before, I am teaching Atmospheric Sciences 101, an introduction to weather and climate, this fall.  Not surprisingly, it will have to be online (Zoom).    But perhaps this is a rare opportunity as well. As you know from this blog, I am really into outreach to the community through my blog and podcast (and previously my radio segment on KNKX).   I would like to try doing outreach this quarter with the online 101. If you are over 60, you can sign up for the wonderful  UW Access program , where for only a few dollars (I believe 5), you can audit UW classes.   So I encourage all of those interested in taking the class to do so.  Access students can't register until the third day of class, but I can give them the zoom

Last night I was outside and I heard large numbers of unseen birds overhead.  It is that time of the year. In fact, there is now a bird migration alert for our region, as provided by the wonderful style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;">here .

  style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">some background information here ) and discuss why they rejected key foundations of freedom of speech and diversity of viewpoint that are critical for maintaining our democracy. If you would like to support the creation of the podcast , please visit my  Patreon site . 

My Weekend Podcast Should be Online by 9 AM Tomorrow (Friday) _______________________________________________________________ Atmosphere rivers are strong, relatively narrow currents of enhanced moisture that stream out of the tropics or subtropics into the midlatitudes.   And when they extend into our region and are forced to rise by our terrain, they are potent precipitation producers. Atmospheric moisture can be observed by weather satellites by sensing the radiation emitted by water vapor, producing information and beautiful graphics like the one shown below for earlier today (Thursday).  You will note that the greatest amounts of water vapor is in the tropics (purple and dark red colors), which makes sense since warm air can pick up lots of water vapor from the tropical ocean.   style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;">here .

Autumn began at 6:30 AM this morning and the atmosphere is clearly watching the calendar. Tomorrow will bring the first of a series of wet weather systems,  each associated with a potent atmospheric river,  that will bring as much as TEN inches of precipitation to the northern Cascades and Olympics.    As a result, wildfire season in Washington State will be coming to an abrupt close. Precipitation will be heaviest during two periods, one tomorrow and the other on Saturday, when atmospheric rivers--narrow currents of large water vapor values--will make landfall on our coast.   Here is the forecast atmospheric moisture content at 8 AM tomorrow (Wednesday), with the blue and white colors indicating the largest water vapor values.  When the water vapor current rises on our local terrain it is forced to condense, resulting in bountiful precipitation. style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;">here .