crosscut.com : Weather / Geophysics

Winter in late April

Crosscut — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 15:53:01 PDT

Up to a foot of snow could fall in the Cascade Mountains over the weekend. And some Snohomish County lowlands are already seeing flakes. This wacky blast of winter has ski areas cheering and farmers worried.

Cool ideas for doomsday

Crosscut — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 05:00:01 PDT

While global warming is producing an Arctic land rush, climate change could also result in the far north becoming humanity's ark.

Palm Springs not so eternal

Crosscut — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 15:47:01 PST

Taking advantage of a long weekend, I took the Crosscut Gulfstream V*** to Palm Springs, Calif., where page one in the Desert Sun is a water fight related to the the sinking Coachella Valley.

Here's the paragraph that caught my attention:

Studies have shown groundwater overuse is causing subsidence, the literal sinking of the valley, which if left unchecked could cause millions in infrastructure damage to buildings, pipelines and roads.

Smaller ferries in Admiralty Inlet would be dangerous

Crosscut — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 15:37:01 PST

A former NOAA officer, otherwise anonymous, has filed an interesting report about weather conditions in Admiralty Inlet, where the Port Townsend-Whidbey Island ferry route runs (when it does). His verdict: the state's plans to replace the current ferry with a smaller boat would risk lives, due to the mighty winds and waves prevalent in the area. The blogger describes, with detailed records, how the wind comes around the Olympics and creates intense pressure and high waves. That calls for boats that are "large, powerful, and sturdy," he writes. Here's his scary weather report:

Is trend-setting Seattle starting a new fad: year 'round Christmas lights?

Crosscut — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 22:00:01 PST

According to The Etiquette Answer, Christmas lights are supposed to be taken down "no later than Jan. 7, after the celebration of Three Kings Day." To do otherwise, was tacky. In Seattle, lights used to come down on or around New Year's Day. And in that, we were just as conventional as any other burb in America. But something happened. Now you notice more and more houses with lights left up longer.

White highways

Crosscut — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 08:28:01 PST

Here in Seattle, the ground is merely wet after overnight snow was predicted, but elsewhere the Northwest snow is falling on top of earlier snow, schools are closed, and residents are bracing for more.

As of this writing, there is a heavy snow warning and an avalanche warning for the Cascades and Olympics in Washington and the Cascades in Oregon; a heavy-snow warning for the Columbia River Gorge and higher elevations in northeast Washington; a snow advisory for metro Portland and for Whatcom County, Wash., by the Canadian border; a gale warning for the Pacific Ocean and the Strait of Juan de Fuca; and a small-craft advisory for inland waters, including Puget Sound.

Here are the National Weather Service pages: Seattle and Western Washington, metro Portland, Spokane, Pendleton. A more complete list of weather and travel links can be found on Crosscut's Newsstand page.

Shaky assumption: An Alaskan Way Viaduct myth is dispelled

Crosscut — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 14:55:01 PST

More movement this week on the Alaskan Way Viaduct – literal, not political. State engineers said yesterday, Jan. 23, that the elevated waterfront freeway has sunk another one-eight of an inch since the last check six months ago. In all, it's settled more than 5 inches since they started measuring shortly after the 2001 Nisqually earthquake.

Advocating death with dignity â�� for the human race

Crosscut — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 05:00:01 PST

Would the world be better off without us? An Oregon teacher thinks so. In fact, allowing mankind to go extinct, he says, would be the greenest thing we could do.

2007 in review: The Seattle density debate

Crosscut — Sat, 29 Dec 2007 01:00:01 PST

Trying to find a saner, more just "ethic of place." Good luck with that, Seattle. Two important new books explain why.

Snow in Portland: We donâ��t have to see it to believe

Crosscut — Thu, 27 Dec 2007 10:00:01 PST

Bottled water? Check.

Flashlights? Check.

Back issues of The New Yorker?

Leftover holiday candy? Check. Check. Check.

A storm by any other name wouldn't be as wet

Crosscut — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 07:36:01 PST

What's in a name? For one, the formerly elegant "Katrina" has been purged from those names-for-your-baby books (and "Pete," alas, is reserved exclusively for three-legged dogs). That's what's in a name. All the more reason for The Seattle Times to revive its U.S Weather Service-sponsored name-that-storm competition.

Disaster aid needed: Please send duct tape!

Crosscut — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 11:17:01 PST

Just got a note from Gov. Chris Gregoire's new press secretary, Aaron Toso. On Saturday, the governor asked that Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) expand disaster assistance to individuals in Mason, Thurston and Pacific counties due to the recent storm and flooding. That request was granted over the weekend.

The governor's Katrina moment

Crosscut — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 05:00:01 PST

Cleaning up a disaster like this month's storm could get messy for Chris Gregoire in a re-election year.

A tree falls in Oregon

Crosscut — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 00:00:01 PST

They might be dwarfed by architecture, but nothing we've built has transcended time the way big trees have. The "Klootchy Creek Giant" lived long and large. It took a record-setting windstorm to bring it down.

Stormwater runoff: an impermeable problem

Crosscut — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 05:00:01 PST

Our built environment has forced the ecosystem to accommodate precipitation in high and fast volumes. The rush of water from pavement and compacted landscape destroys the natural order. It's also a huge source of Puget Sound pollution.

Fun with climate data: divergent rainfall totals

Crosscut — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 12:41:01 PST

After the deluge, at 23.09 inches, we are still well below normal in rainfall for the calendar year, according to measurement at the National Weather Service forecast office at Sand Point in Seattle. But at Sea-Tac Airport, the total for the year (35.44 inches) is above normal after yesterday's rain.

Storm coverage roundup

Crosscut — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 06:25:01 PST

We'll update this as we find more and better stuff. The best explanation of where this weather came from is in The Oregonian. The Oregon Coast was probably hit hardest, and the paper also has an interactive Google map of stories and photos — best mash-up I've seen in a breaking-news situation. The Seattle Times also has a mash-up, locating photos and reports submitted by readers. Storm roundups by location and/or publication:

Record rain, landslides, flooding ...

Crosscut — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 12:45:01 PST

Pretty much all hell is breaking loose and sliding downhill throughout the region today. The best place to get an overview of what's going wrong in metro Seattle is at the Regional Public Information Network site, a clearinghouse for official news — an Emergency Broadcast System of the Web. The Seattle Times and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer both have stories posted that are being updated, and the Times has a Google Maps mash-up of flood reports from readers.

Northwest wind-gust forecast for 10 a.m.

Crosscut — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 06:59:01 PST

The numbers on this image from the National Weather Service, which forecasts wind gusts for 10 a.m. Pacific time, are in knots. Quick conversion:

Oregon and Washington coast: 71, 78, and 82 mph
Bellingham: 54 mph
Seattle: 50 mph
Portland: 44 mph

Current weather warnings for: Western Washington, Oregon. Metro Puget Sound Regional Public Information Network with government-issued warnings and other news.

Hurricane warning on the coast

Crosscut — Sat, 01 Dec 2007 17:09:01 PST

Well, sort of. For those of you who plan to do a little boating on the Pacific Ocean this weekend, you might want to know about this hurricane-force wind warning for Sunday night and Monday. A mere gale warning is in effect as of this writing.