46 Days w/o Rain
Today’s trace of precipitation ends a 46 day streak without rain. So, who says it always rains in the Northwest? This year’s streak started with the last rain on July 2 and ended August 19. Is summer over? Heck no, I say we still have a good month to go before any significant rain arrive.
November in March
How about the storm we have going on right now? Seems like one of the big blows we normally have in November or December doesn’t it? So far (as of noon 3/29) I’m at .8″ of rain since this started yesterday and from what I read we’ve got a few more days of it. On top of that my peak wind gust was 4o m.p.h. at 4:20 this morning setting my high for the year so far.
Usually our weather this time of the year is more showery so this seems a bit unusual. Stay tuned to the weather forecasts over the next few days as it looks like the waves of rain could involve some thunderstorms. Oh and stay dry if you can.
Where Do You Get Your Forecast?
It seems everyone gets their weather forecast from a different source. Some prefer TV weather forecasts, others use the default forecast for their home page portal, while another group uses whatever random forecast comes their way. With the Internet there are certainly a myriad of options and as weather forecast consumer it can be a confusing. There are certainly pros and cons to each forecast and everyone seems to prefer seeing a familiar face or familiar website.
Where do I get my forecasts? My preference is to get them directly from the National Weather Service. The NWS has a group of highly trained and experienced forecasters in all the regions of the nation so you know the forecast you are getting is the best it can be and generally free from any bias that may intentionally or unintentionally be linked to the deliverer. The NWS forecast products include the typical forecast icons you see everywhere but they also include a written forecast that gives you more specifics about the elements of the forecast.
Why do I mention the written forecast? Take an example of the sun symbol appearing on a particular day in one of these forecasts. What would be expected on that day, sun, right? What happens when sun isn’t out? Everyone doubts the forecast, right? This one reason I recommend going behind the forecast icons and reading the written forecast. What I find is there are hidden gems behind the pictures and in the example of the sun icon the simple statement “Sunny after brief morning clouds” would likely have set expectations differently.
My favorite part of the NWS forecast page is the ability to click on their maps and get to a forecast for your neighborhood. Yep, that level of granularity exists and it generally provides local variations in wind speed and temperature. This can be a real assets when you want to know just what the wind will be like in Camas versus downtown Vancouver.
As you can see I’m a fan of the NWS forecasts and the information they provide. I like the forecast icons, the written forecast, and the neighborhood forecast and l use all of these regularly when determine what the weather will be. Take a minute and look for yourself!
