Under the Weather

Another week of winter down, another week closer to spring! Although astronomical spring (traditional seasons) begins on March 20, meteorological spring actually begins on Monday. You can read more about the differences between astronomical and meteorological seasons here. For those counting down the days until summer, this is likely music to your ears. We are getting…

How about that snow this past weekend? I honestly couldn’t stop grinning—it was just so pretty! Even though it was an amazing sight to see, it did cause a lot of problems, primarily for people trying to get around on the roads. I braved the streets Saturday night, and I was basically driving on a…

A couple weeks ago, I wrote these words: “Don’t lose hope just yet if you want to see snow in the lowlands this winter—we still have February! I may or may not be rooting for a repeat performance of February 2019.” Lo and behold, I may be getting my wish. By now, most of you…

It’s hard to believe that we are already over a month into 2021—where does the time go? And in terms of weather, one word describes the year so far quite well: wet. In last week’s article, I mentioned how I was interested as to where the month of January would rank in terms of total…

Well, as you could probably tell, besides a few stray snowflakes that fell Tuesday night, it didn’t snow. Sorry, fellow snow-lovers. The ingredients just did not all come together like they needed to. So far, the snowfall for our area has been almost abysmal—with the only accumulating snowfall of the season (albeit very minimal) falling…

The sight of that four-letter word tends to bring either excitement or dread to those here in the Pacific Northwest. Let’s face it: Snow can be a huge disruption to our daily lives. February 2019 was an excellent example of that. Because of the impact it can have, people pay a little extra attention to…

2021 continues throwing us for a loop in terms of weather, doesn’t it? The rain keeps piling up, and to make things interesting, we had a decent windstorm thrown into the mix. Through the first 13 days of the year, Paine Field has accumulated a whopping 5.36 inches of rainfall—a staggering 14.87% of the normal…

We are already a week into 2021, and what a soggy start to the year it’s been! I love the rain, and even I was starting to think it was a little much. If you were thinking the same thing, you are not wrong—it has rained a lot. Let’s take a look at the numbers….

Well, everybody, we finally did it. We made it through 2020. A lot has happened this year, but I hope that everyone is able to find something to be grateful for as we head into the new year. In terms of precipitation, Paine Field wraps up the year just slightly above average, with the normal…

For the month of December thus far, we are running behind in terms of average total precipitation. Through Dec. 16, Paine Field has registered 1.12 inches of rain in the gauge. The normal amount for the same time frame is 2.66 inches. However, we are expected to play catchup this weekend, as a couple storms—including…

We’ve all heard the song lyric, “I’m dreaming of a white Christmas, just like the ones I used to know…” There’s just something about snow on Christmas that makes it a little bit more special (although I’ll take snow any day of the year). Believe it or not, there is a meteorological definition for what…

It is the most wonderful time of the year! Winter is finally here, at least to meteorologists and other weather enthusiasts, and it makes me excited for the possibility of scenes like the picture above. Meteorological winter officially arrived Dec. 1, ahead of its astronomical counterpart. (You can read more about meteorological and astronomical seasons…

It is a little hard to believe, but Thanksgiving week is here. Even though this year looks a little different than previous years, we can still make the most of it. Some of you may be attempting to have outdoor gatherings this year, and if that’s you, you are probably very interested in whether it…

After being hit with several storms over the past couple weeks, we are finally expecting a break from the crazy weather. November tends to be the wettest month of the year, and it definitely seems like we’re living up to that expectation. Interestingly enough, through the first 18 days of the month, we are actually…

We are no stranger to storms impacting our area, especially during this time of year. Most of us are used to the rain and wind that accompany these storms. However, sometimes the winds associated with these storms are especially powerful and can really pack a punch. Our region avoids the dangers of hurricanes and strong…

It has been quite the wet week so far, hasn’t it? Multiple storms have impacted us this week, bringing decent amounts of rainfall over the area. Above is a map showing some precipitation totals for this week through 4 p.m. Thursday. As you can see, totals primarily ranged between a half inch and one inch….

Around here, November is typically the wettest month of the year in terms of average total precipitation. You can see in the above graphic that the normal amount of total precipitation for the month of November is just over six inches, higher than every other month. The number of storms tend to ramp up this…

This Halloween is poised to be one like no other, with the normal festivities having to be altered or even cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But for those still venturing out for some safe fun, it is important to keep the weather in mind. In a year that has been anything but ordinary, will…

I don’t know about all of you, but scenes like the picture above just make me so happy to look at. I’m excited for winter. While we still have a couple months before winter officially arrives, we’re about to get the first real taste of it this weekend. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on who you…

The Climate Prediction Center, part of NOAA, released its Winter 2020 outlook Thursday morning, which shows that the Pacific Northwest has a chance to have a slightly cooler and wetter winter. This is a typical consequence of La Nina. La Nina is defined by the American Meteorological Society as “a significant decrease in sea surface…

The 2020 Atlantic hurricane season is on pace to be a record-breaking one, with the potential of outdoing 2005, a year featuring infamous storms such as Rita, Wilma, and Katrina. We have already blown through all 21 names in the name list and had to begin using the Greek alphabet—a feat only done in 2005…

Most of us, if not all of us, have seen a forecast graphic similar to the one pictured below. Temperatures are shown as specific numbers, such as 72° or 69°. This is called a “deterministic” forecast, which is a forecast that doesn’t show any uncertainty. While people tend to like this approach to forecasting, it…

It has been a wet couple of days across Western Washington, with the first storm of fall really packing a punch. A combination of rain and wind swept across the region, and it really felt like fall had arrived. Below is a graphic that shows the amount of rain that has fallen from 12 a.m….

  Autumn has only just begun, but we’re already expecting the stormy weather that we’re accustomed to seeing this time of year. On Wednesday, an atmospheric river is expected to take aim directly at the Pacific Northwest, bringing with it some significant rainfall. What is an atmospheric river? I wrote an article about this phenomenon…

Hello everyone! My name is Kelsie Knowles, and I recently graduated from the University of Washington with a degree in meteorology. I will be writing a new column, Under the Weather, which focuses on weather topics in the areas of Lynnwood (where I have lived all my life), Edmonds and Mountlake Terrace. I am so…