crosscut.com : Weather / Geophysics

More fun than Deliverance!

Crosscut — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 05:00:01 PDT

Spend your summer vacation in Eastern Washington, an exotic locale where lakes are slippery, the Scablands surprising, and wheat farmers are smashing stuff for fun.

The dangers of imperfect storm predictions

Crosscut — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 09:24:01 PDT

In the wake of the investigation into the 2006 "Hanukkah Eve" rain storm that hit Seattle and drowned a Madison Valley woman in her flooded basement office, I questioned the terminology of "100-year storms." In doing a quick survey of media stories, I found that central Puget Sound had experienced a minimum of six "100-year storms" in 20 years. I concluded that the term was misleading. Now, with the terrible flooding in the Midwest this year, it's becoming clear that the terminology is hurting some flood victims.

Seattle revels in heliophobia

Crosscut — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 09:05:01 PDT

With sunny, hot weather now and the coldest spring in memory starting to fade into the past, local media ramped up its predictable gloom-and-doom coverage of sunshine. The Saturday, June 28, edition of The Seattle Times carried a classic of the genre: "Sun isn't always good news," blared the headline previewing the first warm weekend of summer.

Polimedia lunch links, binge-drinkers edition

Crosscut — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 11:38:01 PDT

From today's edition of The Seattle Times comes this report from The Los Angeles Times, in what could be the first many reports profiling John and Cindy McCain's ties to the nation's big-time beer brewers. ...

In the Blast Zone examines Mount St. Helens' recovery

New West — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 05:00:01 PDT

A new book collects scientific, personal, and poetic responses to Mount St. Helens, 28 years after its eruption.

What she's wearing: yellow duck boots

Crosscut — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 18:21:01 PDT

Northwest fashion doesn't have to mean polar fleece and hiking boots. In "What she's wearing," our fashion expert offers regular commentary to women who aren't teens, hipsters, or obsessed with the rather unattainable standards set by "Sex and the City" but contrary to their Gore-Tex-clad compatriots, are looking for a little more pizzazz in their wardrobes.

The weather situation is worse than you think

Crosscut — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 12:07:01 PDT

Mossback's already weighed in on this, but there just can't be too much coverage of the June-uary weather.

It's not widely known, but the news media control the weather. At least they used to. Clearly, something is up, because on Saturday morning, June 7, both The Seattle Times and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer tried to improve the weekend's weather by doing prominent stories about how lousy the weather has been. It used to be that putting a weather story on the front page, especially a predictive one, ensured exactly the opposite weather would occur by the time the presses rolled. But that's no longer working. We had mostly bad weather over the weekend, despite the fact the dailies wrote about how bad the weather has been.

The second-worst winter ever was a Seattle spring

Crosscut — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 20:00:01 PDT

This glorious June has been like a multimillion-dollar ad campaign for Lesser Seattle. Mossback is treasuring every chilly, rainy moment of it. I am heading east of the mountains this week, and it greatly amuses me to be checking pass reports only 10 days before the summer solstice. Snow is expected on Snoqualmie Pass.

Seattle boutiques are weathering the economy (and the weather)

Crosscut — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 15:24:01 PDT

Having owned a local retail store before becoming a fashion consultant, I know how frustrating it is not to be able to predict revenue. Retailers shouldn't have to consult The Old Farmer's Almanac, but in Seattle, the weather is a selling factor. If spring weather is drippy and cold, customers aren't willing to buy summer clothes. If it's too sunny, Seattleites take to the hills and the beaches to enjoy the heat while they can. Once the city has a full week of nice weather, Seattleites will finally commit to the idea of a warmer weather wardrobe, and spring and summer merchandise will start to move.

What's wrong with this carbon footprint?

Crosscut — Fri, 30 May 2008 00:00:01 PDT

It was, the Brookings Institution admitted, a flawed study. But it's the best data we have on the impact of urban areas on climate. This business of quantifying carbon emissions is as complicated as technological urban life itself.

Death by sun! Film at 11

Crosscut — Sat, 17 May 2008 05:00:01 PDT

If you watch local TV news, there's always something to worry about. Take this week's weather: sunny, warm ... and apparently a coiled snake ready to strike! Local stations are famous for over-hyping storms as reporters lean into Alki breezes as if they're the next Katrina or race up to Snoqualmie Pass to prove that — you won't believe this scoop — it's snowing in the mountains in the middle of winter! But it's not enough to exaggerate rain and wind: A little bit of sun is enough to spread alarm.

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.