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!
Feb 05, 2021•14 min•Season 2Ep. 6
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.
Jan 29, 2021•11 min•Season 2Ep. 5
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.
Jan 15, 2021•11 min•Season 1Ep. 3
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!
Jan 08, 2021•12 min•Season 2Ep. 2
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.
Jan 01, 2021•11 min•Season 2Ep. 1
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?
Dec 18, 2020•12 min•Season 1Ep. 14
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!
Dec 11, 2020•13 min•Season 1Ep. 13
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.
Dec 04, 2020•10 min•Season 1Ep. 13
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.
Nov 27, 2020•8 min•Season 1Ep. 12
The Northwest can get big windstorms associated with Pacific cyclones, with the strongest equivalent to category 1 or 2 hurricanes in wind speed and damage potential. In this blog, I will talk about our windstorms and tell you about some of the most memorable. I will also give you the forecast, including an optimistic view for Thanksgiving Day.
Nov 20, 2020•17 min•Season 1Ep. 12
During the next few days there is going to be heavy snow in the mountains and breezy/wet conditions in the lowlands. Normal for this time of the year. The latest model forecasts suggest the potential for a major windstorm later on Tuesday, but it it is too early to be certain about this! My second segment today will look ahead to the winter. It looks like a strong La Nina is in place and that means lots of snow in mountains and cooler/wetter than normal in the lowlands. A good year to bet on a s...
Nov 13, 2020•9 min•Season 1Ep. 11
There has been, literally, a 180 degree change in our weather, with warm, moist southerly flow replaced by cool, drier air from the north. Sixty degree temperatures are probably over the the season. I will describe the cool, windy future weather of this weekend and look ahead to the rest of the week. In my second segment I answer the most asked question I receive: where can one get the best forecast? Which group provides the most skillful predictions? All will be revealed in my podcast!...
Nov 06, 2020•12 min•Season 1Ep. 10
In this episode, I give the important election week weather forecast--and I am not going to speculate on which party it will favor! This week, Hurricane Zeta hit the Gulf Coast. Why doesn't the West Coast get hurricanes? You will will learn the cold truth on this podcast.
Oct 30, 2020•10 min•Season 1Ep. 9
In this episode, I talk about the active weather we will experience this weekend, including strong winds, mountain and eastern WA snow, as well as cold temperatures. This weather will be startling to many. And in the second segment, I will tell you why it is so hard to get snow in western Washington and will reveal the rare weather situation that allows snow to reach to sea level, west of the Cascade crest.
Oct 23, 2020•13 min•Season 1Ep. 8
After a blustery Friday, expect a cool weekend with some showers on Sunday morning. But one thing has NOT been cool is the low temperatures we have experienced each morning. For over a month, our low temperatures have been 5-8F above normal. Why? It turns out that the feared BLOB of warm eastern Pacific temperatures have returned and that warm water is keeping our temperatures toasty at night. In the second segment of my podcast I will tell you all you need about the BLOB and why it strengthened...
Oct 16, 2020•10 min•Season 1Ep. 7
The weather is about to change in a big way, and I will talk about heavy rain, wind, thunderstorms and mountain snows that will impact our region over the weekend and beyond. And then I will turn to talking about the jet stream, the strong current of winds in the upper atmosphere that has a huge impact on aviation, storms and more. Why do jet streams exist? Who discovered them? All will be revealed in this podcast.
Oct 09, 2020•9 min•Season 1Ep. 6
I start with with forecast, noting our foggy mornings, and describe the dry period ahead. And you will learn about the future of our smoke. In the second segment I tell you why we are in the middle of the Northwest fog season. You will be fog knowledgeable when I am done!
Oct 02, 2020•9 min•Season 1Ep. 5
I start with the forecast, discussing an atmospheric river bringing heavy rain today, followed by drying over the weekend and the development of big ridge and warm/dry weather during the week. Temperatures rising to near 80F by mid-weedk. Then in my second segment, I give you a short course on atmospheric rivers--what are they are why are they so important for NW weather.
Sep 25, 2020•11 min•Season 1Ep. 4
Let's jump right in to the current weather situation with your weekend forecast (expect major improvement in the smoke situation on Saturday). In my special segment I will describe how smoke forecasts are made and why our models ran into trouble during the past week.
Sep 18, 2020•10 min•Season 1Ep. 3
This episode will talk about the smoke moving into the Puget Sound and potential for a major influx on Friday. I will provide the weekend forecast and talk about rain coming in by Tuesday. In my special segment, I will answer the key question: are the big fires in Oregon associated with global warming.
Sep 11, 2020•9 min•Season 1Ep. 2
Going somewhere for Labor Day? Cliff provides a detailed holiday weekend forecast for the Western Washington and Seattle areas in the first segment. In the second segment, Cliff details the looming record breaking heatwave set to strike and a smokey surprise from California. Support this podcast on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/cliffmass
Sep 04, 2020•8 min•Season 1Ep. 1
