Evergreen Bonsai Club to meet
Group will study azalea maintenance and styling at this session
Summer Thunderstorms
An area of summer thunderstorms and cumulus convection is moving through tonight, and for many of you this is the first rain in weeks.Let's look at recent radar imagery every two hours.5 PM: lots of showers on the coast and offshore.7 PM: the coastal showers moved inland and substantial thunderstorms hit eastern WA.9 PM: Puget...
Halos and contrails: Is there a connection?
The short answer is YES!Today I received pictures from several of you regarding some wondrous halos in the sky. Others noted an impressive collection of contrails...and there is no accident that both apparitions appeared at the same time: the ultimate cause is the same.Here is a very nice picture from Brendan Fields showing both appearing...
Can You Get More than 100% Solar Energy? The Answer is Yes!
More and more folks are putting up rooftop solar panels here in the Northwest. And some of them are getting results that seem bizarre.Take the case of Ted Weiler of Kenmore, WA, who sent me a note that other day wondering why he sometimes gets higher peak solar output from his panels during partly cloudy...
Rainier’s Shadow
Mount Rainier is perhaps the most famous landmark in our state...and it can cast the most amazing shadows. This morning with a relatively uniform cloud deck that topped out around 6500 ft, the mountain's shadow was quite evident. For example, the 5:30 AM visible satellite image clearly showed Rainier's shadow and that of Mt. Adam.And...
Using Unmanned Aircraft for Severe Thunderstorm Prediction and Warning
After the tornado outbreaks in Moore City and Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, there was a flood of controversy about the role of storm chasers. With the tragic loss of three experienced storm chaser/scientists, the injury of the several Weather Channel chasers (see picture below of their car), and the veritable traffic jam of chasers in the...
Coal Train Update
The passage of coal trains through Puget Sound is an extraordinarily bad idea, something I have blogged about in the past. In this blog, I will provide an update on the issue and, using new information, review why local residents should oppose this problematic idea.The coal train issue has gotten a lot of attention lately,...
Evaporation Versus Precipitation: Which Wins in the Northwest?
On one hand, there is precipitation reaching the ground.On the other, there is evaporation from the ground and transpiration of water vapor from plants. (Note: Transpiration is the process by which moisture is carried through plants from roots to small pores on the underside of leaves, where it changes to vapor and is released to the...
Failing Math Curriculum in Seattle Public Schools
If I was a Seattle Public School parent, I would be getting angry now.Why? Most Seattle students are receiving an inferior math education using math books and curriculum that will virtually insure they never achieve mastery in key mathematical subjects and thus will be unable to participate in careers that requires mathematical skills.There are so...
Run or shelter? What to do if a tornado threatens?
A fascinating and important discussion is occurring in the media the last few days:What should one do if a tornado is approaching your location?A few years ago there would be no such discussion. Tornado warnings were either non-existent or provided with insufficient lead time for doing anything other than finding the safest location close at...
Head to the water for sun
Sometimes having a boat (or getting a ride on one) is the ticket for getting some sun, and that approach is often useful in the spring here in the Northwest. The spring is the time of maximum instability of our atmosphere, the time when we see the most convective cloud and showers. The reason is...
