Weather with Cliff Mass

I start with the forecast, with particular attention to the cold air that will push over the region this week.  Will it snow?  We will examine that.  And in the second portion of the podcast, I answer the question that many ask:  is there a void of weather data over the Pacific Ocean?  Does that make weather prediction difficult here in the Northwest?  My answer my surprise you!

This podcast starts with the weekend forecast, which includes several frontal passages,  showers, and moderate mountain snows. But then I turn to the most dangerous weather phenomenon of the region--  ice on the roadways--and tell you what to look for and how to protect yourself from this hazard.

Today I start with snow outlook for the next few days, also noting the potential for freezing fog on Saturday morning and heavy precipitation \ in drought-stricken California.  Then I turn to giving you the inside scoop on western WA snow:  why is it so rare, what are the critical ingredients, and tell you about the difference between the freezing and snow levels. 

We have some interesting weather ahead.  First most dry with plenty of sun.  But then the potential for MUCH colder temperatures and lowland snow later in the week.  And in the second section I talk about our Wednesday windstorm and why the forecast was mediocre at best.

I start with the weekend forecast, including a dry Saturday, gusty downslope winds on the Cascades, a decent Sunday, and then the potential for a VERY wet period of Tuesday and Wednesday.   Then I answer a question posed by several of you:  what is the energy source of storms?    You will learn that tropical and midlatitude storms get their power in different ways!

In this podcast, I will give you the windy forecast for this weekend and tell you about a powerful front that will cross our region on Saturday night.  Then, after the intermission, I will tell you why there are wind gusts.  Why aren't winds steady, but periodically increase substantially in strength?  You will be gust-informed by the end of the podcast.

The holiday week weather forecast is important and I will provide the details, including the outlook for this weekend, the dry spell midweek, and the Christmas Day forecast.  Plus, I will give you the inside story on the big Northeast snowstorm of yesterday, where some locations received 40-50 inches of snow!   How do these snowstorms form and how well can we forecast them?

This winter will be characterized by a strong La Nina (cooler than normal waters in the tropical Pacific).  What does this mean for our winter's weather?  Snowpack?   I will explain it all.   And I will also provide the latest forecast, with Saturday being the last dry, sunny day in a long, long time!

During the autumn, the Northwest is often visited by a strange condition:   temperatures WARMING with height.  These features are called inversions and this podcast will explain why they occur and how you can use inversion knowledge to escape the cold and murk on many autumn days!

And I provide the forecast for this weekend, which actually is not bad for this time of the year.

The middle to end of November is the stormiest time of the year.  Why?  My podcast today will explain?   And we have an interesting weather period ahead, with unusually dry conditions and powerful easterly winds in gaps in the Cascades and in the Strait of Juan de Fuca.  That and the rest of the forecast will be provided in the podcast.