Pulling the Snow Trigger

Snow is the topic of discussion for everyone in the Pacific Northwest and also around the nation.  Seattle received news coverage on World News Tonight titled, "Seattle Weather: Snow Instead of Rain" and a caption of "Rainy region braces for worst blizzard in 25 years."  Hmmm, a bit of truth stretching; widespread snow... perhaps. (in areas that didn't get any snow Sunday - Tuesday might see some), but a blizzard? strong sustained winds or close to sustained winds over 35 mph and drifting snow, i.e. whiteout conditions...nope.  You can be the judge of truth stretching because tomorrow will tell all.

Here is a UW model projection of snowfall initialized at 4am this morning for a 24 hour time period ending at 4pm Wednesday.

If you look closely a few miles makes a huge difference in snow totals. Seattle is cut in half; points north of the University District will have less than 3 inches of snow and points south of there will have over 3 inches of snow.  That is also if this model is correct which most of the time when it comes to snow for this part of town is difficult to predict; lots of variable terrain, and water that keeps our temperature hugging on to freezing.  With that said, if the storm track drifts north about 40 miles Seattle will be in the red, if it really moves north we'll have plain rain.  Another scenario is if the storm goes farther south and that spells cool and breezy, but not enough moisture for snow.  Which is where the latest model is heading.

Here is a UW model snow projection initialized at 4pm.

The storm tracks a little further south moving the University District into the 2" range v. the 3" range for the time period of 4pm Tuesday to 4pm Wednesday.  However there is room for more accumulation if the snow continues past 4pm.  I just pulled from the UW model, but there are others out there with the same consensus of a light snow event.  Remember though an inch of frozen precipitation can still wreak havoc on a city of hills. 

Let's do a TV round up on what television station websites have on tomorrow's snow storm totals for Seattle as of 9pm Tuesday. 

KOMO 4 Seattle Area 4-6"

KING 5   Downtown Seattle 3", Ballard 2", West Seattle 3"

KIRO 7    Seattle 4-6"

Q13 FOX Seattle 3"

These are all estimates that will probably change hour by hour with lots of uncertainty.  Besides the storm track with the moisture factor in the second ingredient for snow.  With temps hovering around freezing snow may fall later in the day but will it accumulate?  How about adding the intensity factor.  We don't have a major city center to our west to report what's coming our way, and the difference between moving over water and hitting land is huge.  Your guess of a number between 2" and 12" is just as good as mine. So we'll all find out tomorrow after the storm blows by.  I can tell you though that it is the wet snow variety.. the best for snowball fights and snow people.  Enjoy whatever comes and be smart.

Bye High but Still Dry

Most of the Puget Sound area will remain dry today. The area of high pressure moving east of the mountains. The blue skies this morning will give way to clouds if you are not already under them. Rain? Sure. On the coast today and later tonight into tomorrow :)

Sun Drenched

Two words, east wind. That is the discussion amongst the meteorologists in Western Washington. When we have an east wind going it gets breezy in the Cascade Foothills and the temperatures will rise due to the sinking and compressing of air rolling down the Cascades.

So how warm will we get? Upper 60s to low 70s! Record territory. We'll be sun drenched for sure today... the next 30 to 100 days... well we dial into fall and rain drenched is on the other end.

A 70 Kind of Day

Update 12:30pm
RAIN.  The cool air made it over with a burst of thunder and a short shower.  Warm air rises; and with cooler air above and warm air near the surface, the warm air rising upwards, in order to moderate the temps, creates more clouds and once those clouds are saturated... rain! So the temperature reading will be lower than 70(F) but it will still feel like 70(F) with muggy conditions and a slim chance of T-showers and brief periods of rain.  After the air above and below mixes enough and moderates that's when the rain stops; perhaps in the next few hours.

The showers are mainly around Seattle eastward, with a few heavy T-showers east of Tacoma (the red blob) and south of Olympia.

 --

The first rule of thumb before forecasting is... to look outside!  And, with that note looking outside I did.  Tilting my head to the north... blue skies, to the south... pockets of clouds moving in from the southwest.  Very interesting.  So here is the visible satellite image painting just that. Mostly blue and a few thin clouds north of Kent and scattered clouds south of Kent.(As of 10:30am PDT)

These low clouds typically burn off easily during the summer but with autumn rolling in the clouds take a bit longer to dissipate and drift around. So right now partly to mostly cloudy skies will be mostly cloudy soon as more clouds are right off of our coast ready to swallow all of Western Washington. Yesterday's high temperature of 77(F) will not be reached today; it's looking more like a dry 70(F) kind of day.  If you are making plans for tomorrow expect a dry start with rain moving in mid day and cooler temperatures. Sunday will be the winner this weekend with dry conditions.

And the Blog Kickstarts Again!

Hello friends! I fell off the face of the Earth for a moment and now I'm back.  Wedding season is wrapping up, family vacations are a thing of summer, and days without school and classes begin.  With some changes in my schedule I'm going to tweak Weather Bites! to weekend weather bites, and if I have time during the week pepper in some weekday bites and food. So hello again.  

After tomorrow's (Thursday 09/29) gorgeous day, these beautiful sunsets on a clear day will become far and few between; our nights are getting longer and the air cooler.  Before you know it we will have some snow in the picture :)

And the Blog Kickstarts Again!

Sunset at Ahihi Bay

A Hot Shot

So no thunderstorms, no washouts, and well kind of boring weather still.  Plain old cloudy mornings and a guessing game of when the sky will turn from grey and puffy to bright and blue.  I'm going to attempt to make the last two days interesting...  Tuesday was super cloudy where the sun was trying to make an early comeback by peeking through the clouds every now and finally minutes before sunset  aaah ( that was suppose to be that one holy sound) orange light filled our living rooms;  night fell and the clouds rolled back in.  Wednesday was a day when forecasters called for a mostly cloudy day and drizzly.  If you were present and aware of what was happening outside the sun was out in full force by mid afternoon. And, it was an actually a more sunnier day than Tuesday. I tried.

The bite of today is more or less of the same with most of us on the west side of the Cascades under the clouds.  But if you look closely it a little bluish; with thinner clouds, heck, we might be sunny by noon!  Since today is the perfect day, we'll go for a high of 75.

Copy and paste today for Saturday and Sunday, oh and we can't forget Friday... erase a little of the morning clouds and we have temperatures soaring into the mid 70s... oh my.

Now where did I get my title? Right.. with the few days of August left and a plain July the chances for hot days, i.e. days in the upper 80s and above are dwindling.  With that said we might have a hot shot next weekend, Aug 20, 21.  For four days a model painted one day of upper 80s and squeezed out a day in the low 90s.  Those days are quite a ways away.  So don't bet on it; considering this weekend looked more like this Friday yesterday, and today the weekend looks more like today. I feel a bit confused so I hope you get the last sentence.

A Beautiful Day in Madrona

Ahhh. Summer :)

Stuck in Anoher Kind of Lull

Can you believe it? Some coined the weather in the Northwest this summer as bipolar.  Especially since we'll have a day with high temperatures in the 80s followed by a day struggling to make it to the 60 degree F mark. I have to break the news to you folks... we are stuck in another kind of lull... a comfortable one:) In Western Washington expect brief morning clouds for some of the days and then afternoon sunshine, temperatures ranging from mid 80s in Southwest Washington, on either side of 80 in the Seattle Met Area, and a bit cooler as we head north ... for the next 16 days.  I know, I know it is premature for me to make such a bold statement, but that is how it looks.  Maybe some morning drizzle 10 days out from today.  

Tim will be out with his gang for another game of dodgeball tonight.  Where people sweat, grunt, and get dirty. The sun is setting earlier, at 8:42pm, so a sunny first half with temps around the 60s and then a cool, refreshing second half under the Denny lights. But, the cool air won't deter them because their adrenaline is flowing after being hit in the head and determination kicks in to smash their opponent and run them down to the ground.  Today's high temperature for Seattle, 75. As of now there are clouds when you look out the window; they are quickly burning off leaving us with blue skies by this afternoon.

It Took a Minute

It's 2pm ... where's the sun Jim? It took a minute okay? The clouds started to break up around 2pm today in South King County and now as of 4:30pm most places that were under the clouds this morning in Western Washington is enjoying the sunshine with the exception of the Cascade Foothills, so give it another minute.

With the sun out temperatures are hovering around either side of 70 degrees F, I'm sweating in the Auburn Supermall parking lot. Time for me to catch some indoor mall AC :) Make it an awesome Sunday.

Another Sweet Weekend?

I took this picture just an hour ago and look outside now; clear skies. Or at least my window is showcasing blue skies. Another sweet weekend? I think so! Last weekend packed some heat; we added another 80+ degree day, and this weekend isn't getting that warm but confortable with temperatures in the mid to upper 70’s degrees F. If you want just a number I’ll give you 77 for Seattle and 82 for Vancouver, WA tomorrow. Early risers will wake up to some morning clouds, but if you have the luxury to sleep in tomorrow you’ll wake up to straight up sunshine. The clouds that roll in late Saturday however will drop our temperatures a few degrees on Sunday, and you have to wake up really late… around 2pm… to recover from Saturday night perhaps? to see completely blue skies outside of your window. Now 2pm is my estimate so don't quote me :)


Canoozing is a go go tomorrow as it will be the better half of this weekend.

Cooling Down

Yesterday at this time, 11am, Seatac was sitting at 73 degrees F and right now it's reporting 60 degrees with lightening in the distance; what a difference a day makes.  We'll be hearing squeaky shoes today if you work in an office building as the ground is wet and the rain is falling.  Here in the Udistrict the rain has been more of a sprinkle to rain the back to a sprinkle.

I haven't used this in a while.  The showers are a bit heavy and are mainly concentrated around the Central Sound this morning.

Considering how cool and cloudy we have been Seattle is still below normal for July when it comes to rain measured in the rain gauge... but that will change today; we need to cover .07 inches of rain.  Expect showers, some rumbles of thunder, and even some peeks of sun in between the clouds and showers.

Heatin' Up this Weekend!

Thanks Chelle for reminding me of my Weather Bites!

 

 Monday, 7/18, morning fog creeping off the bay into the SoDo District and Downtown Seattle. Picture taken by Sandy.

After what seems like weeks of uncharacteristic summer weather, and another week of it; people are feeling the summer blues but are seeing grey. My friends and family are asking me when summer is going start or when we will feel the heat. On our way to Red Mango today Pat and I noticed people are still bundled with jackets and hoods, rain boots, and lugging around umbrellas. Summer much? more like Autumn. We used the car's heater on our way back to simulate summer and complement our cold frozen yogurt and smoothies.

Let's reflect on July for the last five years by numbers to see if we actually are lacking heat this year. It was only two weekends ago that we had a stretch of 80 degree weather, which seems like eternity for some folks :)

These numbers were recorded at Seatac Airport and retrieved from the National Weather Service.

Year         Days >= 80 degrees         Average High         Days w/Precip
2010         10                                     74.9                         7
2009         18                                     81.0                         5
2008          9                                      74.9                         6
2007         10                                     77.4                         9
2006         12                                     78.1                         7
So far this July...
2011         3                                       73.4                         9

According to the Average High we are about 'average' for this corner of the Earth because each day we have been topping off in the low to mid 70s, but what we remember summer by is the stretches of hot weather, and well... sunshine.  With only 3 days at 80 degrees or above this July and only 10 days left in the month, we will definitely be below normal compared to the last five years in that sense.

Good news though, there's a chance to tack on one day to the Days >=80 degrees column for 2011 and if we're lucky... two days.  This weekend we'll be heatin' up!

This is the 500 mb heights forecast for 5pm PST today.  mb is a measure of pressure, and the heights indicate how high from sea level is 500  mb measured.  So the greater the heights the warmer the air since warmer air takes up more space.  Notice how the Northwest is under a shade of red and in the U part of a wave.  That signifies lower heights/thicknesses translating to cooler temperatures and the U part is a trough which spells clouds and precipitation.

This next image paints a different picture.  We are in a lighter shade and in a ridge where the wave bubbles up over us.  Ridges indicate high pressure, clear weather, and solar radiation reaching the ground heating up the lower atmosphere and with higher heights... warmer weather! 

The ridge doesn't look like it will last too long though.  A brief warm up for the weekend that may last into Monday before we return back to whatever you call this kind of weather; clouds, light rain, peeks of afternoon sun, and low 70s.

Today looks gross outside but is drying out as the day goes on with the exception of the Convergence Zone.  We'll all get some peeks of sun before sunset.  The bite for tomorrow; after morning clouds high pressure begins to settle in for afternoon sunshine.

Drum roll please for this weekend. And, put on your thinking caps for outdoor activities. Sunny and sunny up and down Interstate 5 with temperatures in the upper 70s to low 80s for the Seattle Area, low 70s near the Canadian border, and upper 80s around Portland for both Saturday and Sunday. That's all I have to write. What happens next is up to you :)  I'll keep an eye on this 'heat wave' to see if it will fall apart when Saturday approaches.

Grey Start

Or shall I say grey starts! After enjoying the 80s (temps, not the time warp) the Northwest is in for a cool down. It is summer after all, so I hate to type unseasonably cool weather. The brightside of unseasonably cool translates to temps in upper 60s which is comfortable for most folks; just not summer like; jackets in the morning to deal with drizzle and that is peeled off in the afternoon for the partly sunny skies; an onion kind of day.

The summer pattern in our corner of the earth has the strong jet further north into Northern B.C. compared to winter with the jet aimed right at us. Instead of having storms come head on, they veer north. Leaving us with the driest season and morning clouds here and there. It's sagging a bit this week. So the effect? More morning clouds, drizzle, and a chance of showers north of Seattle.

Wall to Wall Sunshine

If you liked yesterday's warm day we're in for a repeat. Today's high under blue skies, upper 70s and low 80s across most places west of the Cascades. The coast with the ocean breeze will be much cooler, 60s will be the high there. And of course the foothills... upper 80s. Tomorrow starts out the same but clouds roll in late evening similar to Saturday. Ahh, these days are refreshing as iced tea :)

 Taken at 6:42pm

Afternoon Sunshine for Sunday

The system was literally in and out. We saw clouds roll in late last night, and some showers here and there this morning. The mighty summer sun will bust through the clouds this afternoon leaving us with mostly sunny skies lasting into next week. And, temps will be on the cooler side with a warm up through next week.

West Coast Sunshine!

 West Coast Sunshine! From Baja California to the southern tip of British Columbia, Canada. That's something to celebrate with your sunglasses, short shorts, and sandals... where your toes can feel the warm breeze instead of cold water (unless you dare to step into the lakes, rivers, or seashores.) Tomorrow however spells clouds and cooler temperatures; the chance of morning drizzle is high with a strong onshore push when a low drives in to our north, the chances of rain for the rest of the day is less than 50 percent since the systems center will be hundreds of miles north of the Central Sound.  Bellingham, which is closer, will have a better chance for rain. A repeat of Friday is in store for our Independence Day, woot woot Amerrrrica!

Finally congrats to my tennis man Novak Djokovic.  I have been following his game in the early days when he wasn't a well received player because of "arrogance."  I thought he was a young, confident player that is having fun with the game. Check out his hilarious impersonations of Maria Sharapova and Rafael Nadal from the 2007 US Open.

Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal has dominated the Number 1 spot since February of 2004 on the ATP World Tour. Djokovic cracked the top ten in April 2004 and has been bouncing between the Number 4, 3, and 2 spot since July of 2007.  Tomorrow will be a battle at Wimbledon between the current Number 1, Rafael Nadal, and the future Number 1 player come Monday's new ranking.  Please welcome the new World Number 1 Tennis Player Novak Djokovic.

 

Djokovic, Ascendant, Prepares to Confront Nadal, a NYTimes article to be pubished in the July 3, 2011 paper. 

Weather Update 3:44pm

SeaTac is sitting at 79 degrees F.  It has been 301 days since Seattle (which is actually SeaTac) has reached 80 degrees, which is the 4th longest streak on record, the longest 319 days in 1960.  You can read about that in Scott Sistek's blog.  It might turn out like the uneventful day this year that Seattle ended it's streak of 70less days by hitting 70 degrees for mere minutes!

Currently in:

Bellingham 74

Mount Vernon 73

Boeing Field, Seattle 79

UW, Seattle 74

Olympia 80

Chehalis 82

Hoquiam 62

Portland 83

Eugene 81 

Weather Update 10:44pm 

The streak ends at 301 days without an 80 degree day. Temperatures rose to 82 degrees F at SeaTac.

This Weather Does NOT Bite

Some woke up to clouds, some straight up sunshine. And for today and tomorrow everyone will catch some rays in the Pacific Northwest with temperatures ranging from the upper 60s near the coast, low 70s around the metro and mid 70s inland. Sunday... is down right cloudy. Monday dry, warm, and surprisingly nice for a July 4th, historically the wettest day in July for Seattlelites.

June Gloom.. Auf Wiedersehen

The shower chances are limited to areas northeast of Everett stretching towards the foothills of the Cascades.  Satellite loops show thin broken clouds off the coast, and that is giving us pockets of blue skies.  If you look outside you a see a few of those pockets and later this afternoon well have bigger pockets of blue ( if not mostly blue by this evening.)  Even with some partial clearing, high temperatures will still be below normal.. in the low 60's for Western Washington.  The last bit of June gloom isn't looking to shady after all.

Unexpected Sushine

Mostly cloudy and showers is the theme for today and tomorrow as a system is moving towards British Columbia. The sun was out in the Green River Valley this morning and now this afternoon over Seattle north to Shoreline and east over Elliott Bay for beautiful outdoor pictures. If I had a boat this pocket of sunshine and breeze is great for sailing. Places near the Cascades are hogging all of the showers so far. Considering today was suppose to be more showery than tomorrow, I'm going with a bite of mostly cloudy and mainly dry with a few showers for tomorrow, the last day of June gloom.

Fizzling June and a Normal July

All signs pointed to a beautiful, sunny Monday as forecast after forecast had winds coming in from the east, which provides a drying and warming effect for the Puget Sound and areas west of the Cascade Range. I saw Alex in shorts and sunglasses anticipating for the afternoon sun routine.. nope, didn't materialize.  The air temperature was a cooler than Sunday but their was a muggy feel in the air as the winds came from the south, bring warm, humid air.  June will fizzle out in the tune of below normal high temperatures and at or above precipitation norms.

The bite today cloudy skies and a fifty percent chance of rain, similar to Monday but less humid and cooler for the next couple of days.  Enough about June, how about July 2011.
 

These are preliminary outlooks dated on the 16th of June 2011.  With La Nina out of the picture this summer is looking quite normal with around normal high temperatures and precipitation for the Northwest.  I'll post the updated outlook when that gets in.  July 1st is looking dry with morning clouds, afternoon sun and temperatures around...normal?!

Update 1:30pm

It's still a bit muggy at 71 degrees F and 68% humidity at Seatac compared 78% a few hours ago, but the wind is shifting more westerly drying the air a little, which is ironic because it is off the ocean.  However the westerly winds off the Pacific is an air conditioner giving us the refreshing, cool air with less moisture content that the  southerly winds which has the combination of tropical moisture and warmer air which has more water content and the mugginess.  The chance of rain is practically gone, leaving us with hazy sunshine and comfortable temperatures. Enjoy the rest of your day. 

Flip flops, Seattle Weather, and Wet Sidewalks.. BEWARE!

Early summer mornings in Seattle translate to wet sidewalks from dew and warmer temperatures for flip flop wearing conditions. I'm fairly aware of my surroundings, I look left and right before crossing the street making sure the walk light is on.  I am afraid of stepping on dog poop so every step is carefully made.  But, today was a different story.  Maybe I was still sleepy after spending seven hours flying (yes my carbon footprint this year will be astronomical.) Or daydreaming because I always manage to do that.

This one step out of my 22 years, 10 months, and 15 days of existence made me stop in my tracks.  I did the scary movie pose where something or someone is coming but I am dead in my tracks... staring and screaming.  Let me remind you I was sporting my flippy floppys and the sidewalks were wet.  What did I step on???  My mind freaked out and I don't even remember too much of how or what happened. This is what's left of my shattered memory of this morning...My toes felt wet as a body was strewn across my big toe, I had orange goo and guts on my foot.  From the pattern on the skin, I realized that..I stepped on a slug or shall I state stepped on and acrobatically burger flipped it onto my toes...how the heck did the body flip up and explode on top of my toe and foot? Just thinking about this makes my skin crawl.... after a moment of shock I gathered my marbles and walked five blocks to my final destination.  Why didn't I go caveman and wipe off the slug juice with a leaf? I waited until I reached the restroom with running water.

I tell myself now that the slug had already died and I happened to add insult to injury. And, instead of dying peaceful in someones garden the final resting spot was the sidewalk.  This slug is being remembered and has left a legacy on this blog.

My mistake can be a lesson learned for others.  Flip flops, Seattle weather, and wet sidewalks.  The result.. wet toes, guts, and shock.  Beware!

Summer has Arrived!

Sunrise 5:11am
Sunset 9:11pm
Length of Day 15h:59m:29s (provided from timeanddate.com)

Right on cue the sun is shining in the morning up and down the West Coast and will shine until the sunsets at 9:11pm!  Forecasted high temps today are in the mid 70s for the Seattle Metro Area.  Today's sunshine however is short lived as the clouds increase and temperatures dip through out the week; yep, below average, which average for this time of the year climbed to 72 degrees F.  Tourists in the Northwest, this is a taste of summer because the "unofficial" start of of summer is July 5th.  Scott Sistek at KOMO has kept up an odds it will rain chart, and for the past 117 years of record keeping July 4th is the wettest day of July for Seattle before trending dryer, with the driest period in Seattle from mid July to mid August.

I will be in Montreal for the next week. So the next update will be on Monday. Make it a great week.

In to the Deep End

From Spokane west to the Pacific Ocean everyone had a glimpse of the golden orb before the high clouds took over yesterday.  We have been stuck in a morning clouds and afternoon sun pattern for a while, coupled with cooler than normal temperatures and occasional overnight showers.

Today will feature hit or miss showers decreasing by the time we head into the evening hours.  So far SeaTac has recorded 0.26 inches of rain and here in the Udistrict 0.10 inches of rain.  Hit or miss showers can really dump and soak a place for an hour or so in one area while a neighboring city would be sitting under dry, cloudy conditions. 

I have two maps to show you from the NWS.  Here is the forecast for today's high temps. 62 degrees F! That's 8 degrees below normal for this time of the year.  And, look at our mountain ranges; parts of the Cascades and Olympics are below freezing for daytime high temps.  The snow level is above pass elevations so driving will be fine today as in precipitation of the liquid kind; still be cautious though there's low lying fog, pockets of heavy rain, and mist.

After today's dive into the deep end and struggle to reach the low 60s, and tomorrow's mostly cloudy but dry day; we'll gradually return back to the morning clouds and afternoon sun routine starting Monday with temperatures rebounding to the upper 60s.  And right on cue when summer does arrive officially, it unofficially happens in the Northwest by July 5th (I'll blog about why in a couple of days,) models are pointing towards partly to mostly sunny skies.  Seattleites and Portlanders will be comfortably in the mid 70s under the sun.

The Joys of Breakfast

Challah French Toast with Roasted Apricots and Honey-Vanilla Creme Fraiche a fancy name for a fancy breakfast with bacon.  The sun was shining right above us as we all enjoyed this delicious treat outside.  Yes, I love to brag every once in a while. And, guess what... I have the privilege of tasting everything on the blog pastryprose.blogspot.com.

With food aside, the weather in the Northwest; or shall I write, 'up and down the west coast' is still stuck in a lull.  Californians are experiencing morning clouds and afternoon sun... they call it June gloom.  We on the other hand are experiencing mostly cloudy skies, dry, with a few spot showers, and partial clearing in the afternoon sometimes. What would they call that? My best guess would be.. Winter.

 The June 1st post touching upon the the below normal temperatures is holding true with temperatures running a few degrees below our normal of 69 degrees F for the next couple of days.  The bite for Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday... a strong push of marine air each day may squeeze out some showers along with cloudy skies, and if the layer isn't too thick we'll see a little sun in the afternoon.

Update 12:45pm
We have some sun in spots and rain in a few locations right now and drizzle or light rain all around Western Washington this morning.  This means two things.  Our air is super moist and with the sun we have the potential of warming up the air near the surface.  These two main ingredients causes instability and rain showers.  Warm air near the ground wants to rise and cool off and when that happens convective clouds form.  With super moist air the cloud is concentrated enough for rain showers to fall. So don't be surprised if you are caught under one.  On a side note the familiar Puget Sound Convergence Zone has a chance of forming North of Seattle this evening. Where ever it drifts it will drop steady rain.

And, winds.. it is a bit breezy outside with winds gusting to 20 mph in the Central and South Puget Sound areas.  This is because of a pressure gradient where the high pressure wants to go to the lower pressure, kind of like river water and a waterfall.  The higher the water the greater the fall to the lower part of the river.  The difference is about 2 hPa higher at the coast than the Puget Sound right now, translating the breezy winds from the southwest (true west winds are rare in the Puget Sound area because of the massive Olympic Mountains.)

Dodgeball!

In a mere 100 minutes dodgeball warriors will take over a Denny Field Court and have at it.  Summer is around the corner and the ubiquitous rain has become a rare event where it falls for minutes instead of days in a row.  Even though the rain will make a no show on the courts today, the sun is being very hesitant.  Clouds are thinning a bit giving us partial clearing for the sun to peek through for the next 4 hours or so, sunset is at 9:07 pm tonight!  Temperatures will be perfect; hovering around the low sixties.  Balls will fly and sweat will ensue... with regards to dodgeball. Have fun.

Stuck in a Lull

I'm kind of a boring person, and people talk about weather when there is nothing else to talk about.... So what does that make of me?  Especially since it's June time in Seattle... a very blah kind of month weatherwise. We are transitioning out of the active spring weather to more of a lull.  Storm systems are weak and high pressure is not in full gear yet.

The influence for the next several days is our neighbor the Pacfic Ocean.  With each morning we get a marine push.  The larger the push, the thicker the clouds, the cooler we are and maybe we can squeeze out some rain.  The lighter the push, the thinner the clouds, more sun in the afternoon leading to a warmer day. So high temperature wise will be bouncing on either side of normal which is 68 degrees f. To me that's borrrrriiinng.

The bites sunbreaks this afternoon to mostly sunny by 8pm, a weak push tomorrow, and a strong push on Friday.

Squeezing Sun Drops

We have areas of clouds and peaks of blue sky so the sun is shining somewhere in Western Washington.  I'll make this short... Mainly dry and if this cloud model pans out we'll squeeze out some more sun later this afternoon with partly to mostly sunny skies. Click on the image below to see you are in the clear.  This is for 5pm today.

Clouds are Back

It's 12:30pm on  Sunday and the clouds are back over half of Washington and all of Oregon.  Lynnwood northward is enjoying blue skies for the time being but look southeast not to the west for clouds to roll in.  Hazy sunshine to mostly cloudy skies is in store for the rest of today coupled with warm temperatures moderating around the low to mid 70s and much cooler near the water.

First Food Post :)

Fridays are days when I am grumpy and sleep super early  My theory behind this is that by the end of the week my body catches up with me, and without school or work the next day my body is permitted to shutdown for some r&r.  I was reluctant to go to happy hour but after winning two games of shuffleboard back to back, a late evening nap, and some convincing by my cousin Kay I slid into my flip flops and was out the door.  First stop was Ivar's Salmon House. They have hh for the big kids from 3pm to close in the lounge and on sunny days on the water.  Great food with great company and a view... however the one hour wait was a little much.  Next stop Joey's on Lake Union.... same problem.  It's Friday evening.... where to go... Palomino! Located in Downtown Seattle parking can be a pain.  They have complementary 2 hour parking after 5pm on weekdays and the restaurant has a spacious lounge for happy hour from 3pm to close.

For food we ordered two pizzas; one pepperoni and one italian sausage and mushroom. The delightful thin crust treats came out hot and not too greasy.  Pep was a little on the salty side but pair it with a beer or cocktail and it is phenomenal.  If you like a little spice to your sausage, which I do, the italian sausage and mushroom was definitely a win.  The draught beer for the both of us was Guinness Stout.

The total for tonight..$22.00 for two beers ($4 each), two pizzas ($6 each) and Seattle tax.  This was my first time here and I would definitely come back to try new menu items.