Lightning in Eastern WA

They get all the great weather.

(They're caused by water condensing, which warms the air and make it lift)

Cliff is doing video now

Should this blog do TLDR videos?



Forecast: some light showers (especially in the mountains), and cooler than it was today

Memorial Day Weekend Forecast

Relatively cool and lots of clouds, with the best weather expected on Sunday.

(what did you expect?)

http://cliffmass.blogspot.com/2011/05/memorial-weekend-forecast.html

A few things

1. There was a tornado in Oklahoma, right over the area's weather station. It survived and recorded some data.

2. The tower for the coastal radar is complete. Next is putting the antenna and radome on top.

3. Check back for Memorial Day Weekend forecast. Don't listen to KUOW expecting a forecast. You'll only get a bunch of "umms" and broken sentences.

http://cliffmass.blogspot.com/2011/05/tornado-passage-at-weather-station.html

I say whatever I want on The Stranger

I only talked about non-weather stuff a few times a year, but the folks at KUOW wanted me to stop. I told them I wouldn't do that so they "fired" me (I was working for free). There was a huge outpouring of support for me, which shows how out of touch the folks at KUOW are with their listeners. I'll go back on the radio if I can talk about non-weather topics. (Give me my own show please!)

http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/cliff-mass-says-whatever-he-wants/Content?oid=8309158

This post is not about Pubic Radio

The midwest gets a lot of thunderstorms. I can explain why, but do you really care?

http://cliffmass.blogspot.com/2011/05/why-does-midwest-us-get-so-many-severe.html

May and June have low clouds

Clouds are low during May and June, for three reasons:

1. Convection.

2. High pressure (the east Pacific high) builds into our region and the high is associated with sinking motion.

3. The earth is warmer than the ocean, so warm continental air moves over cold water, and gets cooled to its dew point.

And global climate change is going to make this more persistant!

http://cliffmass.blogspot.com/2011/05/june-gloom-and-kuow-weekday.html

I got dropped from KUOW

For talking about UW admissions. If you want me back, email them and tell them so.

http://cliffmass.blogspot.com/2011/05/no-more-weather-on-kuow-weekday.html

70F Tomorrow

You read that right. A little preview of it today, then the main event tomorrow. Unfortunately, the weekend will be cooler, with a few light showers. Sorry....

Rain

In parts of the state, it was more rainy yesterday in one day than it usually is in the whole month.

Warm and dry weather expected towards the end of the week and next weekend.

Science proves it

This has been the coldest May EVER. Only 5 days with 60+ degree weather since the beginning of Spring. They had to readjust the graph just to fit a data point that small.

http://cliffmass.blogspot.com/2011/05/coldest-spring-confirmed-with-barbecue.html

April Showers Bring May Showers Bring ...

A big cold front is coming from Alaska, and it's staying around for most of the month. Expect cold and rain. Sorry.

http://cliffmass.blogspot.com/2011/05/another-record-cold-month.html

Triple-Dopplers with a Pumpin Sound System

Somehow they tell us about temperature variations with height.

Two nice days ahead, by the way. Just two.

http://cliffmass.blogspot.com/2011/05/coastal-radar-site-and-radars-you-dont.html

Seattle gets lots of Stratocumulus clouds

Stratocumulus is a low cloud. It's made of large, dark, lumpy elements, with bright sections in between. Most are completely dry, but when they get "blurred together", that's when the precipitation starts!

http://cliffmass.blogspot.com/2011/05/northwests-signature-cloud.html

Costal Radar Progress

The costal radar is being installed now, on track to be operational by September. I made a website for it: http://www.atmos.washington.edu/~cliff/Langleyradar.html

http://cliffmass.blogspot.com/2011/05/progress-on-new-coastal-radar.html

Why we don't get many tornadoes

Thunderstorms like two things: moisture in the air and big change of temperature with height--normally from a warm surface. Our cold water can't put much water vapor into the atmosphere and keeps the surface cold. So we don't get tornadoes.

http://cliffmass.blogspot.com/2011/05/why-so-few-tornadoes-in-northwest.html