FINALLY - Showers End Stale Pattern

 SHOWERS!  Rain starts Tuesday, Snow by Friday

TODAY: Morning clouds, afternoon sun, light NW wind, afternoon warmest temperature mid 30s.

TONIGHT: Partly cloudy, light easterly wind, lowest temperature mid 20s.

TUESDAY: Mostly cloudy with llight rain showers beginning late day (about 4pm). high temp near 40 degrees.

TUESDAY NIGHT: Rainy  - barely .02 inches total rainfall expected before midnight.  SE wind 5-10mph, low temp mid 30s.

WEDNESDAY: Rainy - ¼” to ⅓” total rainfall expected.  West wind to 15mph, Morning low temp mid 30s. Afternoon high temp mid 40s.

WEDNESDAY NIGHT: Light rain or drizzle.

THURSDAY: Mostly cloudy with light rain totalling about 1/10”.

THURSDAY NIGHT: light snow overnight as temps dip below freezing (near 30 degrees).

FRIDAY: Chilly start with about ¼ inches of snow. Becoming Mostly cloudy with highs near 40 degrees.

SATURDAY: Partly sunny. Morning low upper 20s, afternoon high near 40.

SUNDAY: Partly sunny. Morning lows near 30, afternoon high upper 30s.

This Morning's Weather Map...

national weather service spokane - graphical forecast
click link below to access afternoon, tonight, tomorrow weather forecast

http://graphical.weather.gov/sectors/otx.php

Just Cool...Fog Lid Over Pac NorthWest - as seen from space

How long can this stagnant weather go on?

Inland Northwest Weather Blog

By now, most of you may be getting tired of our boring, foggy weather.  On the positive side, you haven't had to shovel any snow, and the roads have been in decent shape, except for some occasional icy spots from freezing drizzle.  But the gray skies do tend to wear on some folks.  Here's what it looks like from space.

 The Columbia Basin is bordered by the Cascades to the west, the Selkirks to the north, the Panhandle mountains to the east, and the central-Oregon mountains to the south.    A perfect bowl.  Note in the above picture of the western US, the Central Valley of California also provides a nice elongated topographic bowl.

Second, you need moisture in order to form fog.  And while we have been very dry, we still have had weather systems providing some moisture.  Coupled with the cold nights, and you get fog and stratus to form.  The Central Valley of California has been so dry this winter, they can't even produce fog! 

The third ingredient is a lid to put on the bowl of fog, to prevent it from going anywhere.  This is provided by the ridge of high pressure.  High pressure results in sinking air.  Sinking air warms. So while at the surface we're stuck in cold, sub-freezing temperatures, the air above us is much warmer.  Locations in the mountains as high as 5000-6500'' have been reaching the mid-40s each day.   The high pressure also keeps storms away from our area.  Storms mean wind, and wind mixes the air which dissipates fog.

for ful article: inlandnorthwestweather.blogspot.com

Rain/Snow Tuesday Night

natonal weather service spokane
A midweek storm system will finally bring a taste of winter to portions of the region. Snow, rain and freezing rain will likely all be on display around the Inland NW. Location will be the biggest factor as to what form of precipitation you will see. Snow is expected for areas north of a line from Deary to Sprague to Wilbur. Freezing rain will be possible for portions of the Columbia Basin along with rain and snow. Rain with periods of snow is possible for the Palouse while the LC Valley is expected to see all rain. The heaviest of the precipitation with this system is expected to occur Tuesday Night. More details will come on this system as we get closer to the event.  http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/FXC/wxstory.php

Cloud Bowl of Eastern Washington

Cliff Mass Weather Blog - Sunday, Jan. 19

So that  all of you have the proper sympathy with our brethren in eastern Washington here is a WSDOT cam shot Saturday in Richland.  How many ways can you say dismal?  And such low clouds and fog coupled with low temperatures often produces freezing fog on the bridges in the Tri-Cities.  Just wonderful.

While many of you are thinking about the Superbowl, today let's talk about another bowl:  the Cloudbowl of eastern Washington. While a warm, blazing sun is considered the signature condition of eastern Washington by some (see the logo for the Tri Cities Visitor Bureau below), the truth is that during the middle of the winter the Columbia Basin of eastern Washington is often filled with fog and stratus clouds: a cloud bowl.
full article - http://cliffmass.blogspot.com/2014/01/cloud-bowl-of-eastern-washington.html

Monster inversion: Mt. Rainier station warmer than Las Vegas

By Scott Sistek Published: Jan 17, 2014 
This is the inversion (picture at right).  Mt. Rainier in the warm layer of air above the clouds & fog

Here is a nice chart of high temperatures Friday: 
Paradise Ranger Station at Mt. Rainier (5,000 feet): 69°
Las Vegas: 68°
San Francisco: 67°
Forks: 64°
Hurricane Ridge: 57°
Mt. Baker Ski Area: 54°
Stevens Pass: 54°
Snoqualmie ski area (Alpental): 52°
Mt. Rainier's Camp Muir (10,100 feet up): 43°
Seattle (Sea-Tac): 42°
Everett: 40°
Tacoma: 39°

Weather patterns that feature strong inversions can make for some zany temperature readings, but zany could be quite the understatement Friday.

How else to explain those enjoying the sight of Mt. Rainier from Paradise Ranger Station (5,000 feet up) were experiencing warmer weather than those on the Strip in Las Vegas?

At 3 p.m., the temperature at Paradise was a whopping 69 degrees, while it was a paltry 67 in Vegas. A strong ridge of high pressure has brought incredible warmth to the middle levels of the atmosphere, while the cold nights have in turn allowed cold, dense air to remain trapped at the surface, resulting in cool, foggy weather down in the lowlands.

Seattle-Tacoma-Everett areas were stuck the upper 30s to low 40s for much of the day -- colder than the 10,100-foot elevation Camp Muir, the last stop before summiting Mt. Rainier! http://www.komonews.com/weather/blogs/scott/Monster-inversion-Mt-Rainier-station-warmer-than-Las-Vegas-240934381.html

URGENT - WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPOKANE WA
SUN JAN 19 2014

...STAGNANT CONDITIONS EXPECTED THIS WEEK...

STRONG HIGH PRESSURE FORMED OVER THE INLAND NORTHWEST LAST
WEDNESDAY. SINCE THEN...WINDS HAVE BEEN LIGHT AND THE ATMOSPHERE
HAS BEEN VERY STABLE. WIDESPREAD FOG AND LOW CLOUDS HAVE FILLED
THE VALLEYS OF CENTRAL AND EASTERN WASHINGTON...AS WELL AS THE
VALLEYS OF FAR NORTH IDAHO. STRONG HIGH PRESSURE WILL LIKELY
PERSIST THROUGH THE END OF THE WEEK. AN UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE ON
WEDNESDAY HAS THE POTENTIAL TO WEAKEN THE INVERSION BRIEFLY...BUT
IT APPEARS THAT STRONG HIGH PRESSURE WILL RETURN FOR THE END OF
THE WEEK.


AIR STAGNATION ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 AM FRIDAY

* AIR QUALITY: LIGHT WINDS AND STABLE CONDITIONS WILL INCREASE
  THE POTENTIAL FOR THE BUILD UP OF POLLUTANTS NEAR THE GROUND.

* TIMING: THROUGH FRIDAY MORNING. AN UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE MAY
  WEAKEN THE INVERSION TEMPORARILY ON WEDNESDAY...BUT THE STRONG
  INVERSION IS EXPECTED TO RETURN THURSDAY AND FRIDAY.

* IMPACTS: PROLONGED PERIODS OF STAGNANT AIR CAN HOLD FINE
  PARTICULATES CLOSE TO THE GROUND AND DEGRADE AIR QUALITY.

* WEB PAGE: FOR A DETAILED VIEW OF THE HAZARD AREA VISIT
  HTTP://WWW.WRH.NOAA.GOV/WRH/WHV/?WFO=OTX

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

AN AIR STAGNATION ADVISORY INDICATES THAT DUE TO LIMITED MOVEMENT
OF AN AIR MASS ACROSS THE ADVISORY AREA...POLLUTION HAS THE
POTENTIAL TO INCREASE TO DANGEROUS LEVELS. PERSONS WITH
RESPIRATORY ILLNESS SHOULD FOLLOW THEIR PHYSICIANS ADVICE FOR
DEALING WITH HIGH LEVELS OF AIR POLLUTION.