Becoming an AMS Certified Consulting Meteorologist is no easy hurdle. It requires prior academic success, solid testing and proven usefulness in the field. The first, daunting task in passing the test is simply qualifying to take it. A Bachelor’s degree in Meteorology is required, including specific core weather classes, found on an official collegiate transcript
Read MoreExtreme winter weather for Puget Sound 2019-2020: should we anticipate a lot of snow again? Multiple 2019-2020 regional forecasts are available and there is little agreement. Experts Say? NOAA says warmer on average temperatures should be expected throughout the winter everywhere but the upper Midwest and expects precipitation in Washington to be typical. Similarly, Accuweather
Read MoreThe graph below is growing degree days (GDD) for the Walla Walla Airport and Pasco Airport. Walla Walla on the average is warmer than Pasco. The graph below is produced with data from the National Weather Service. The graph below compares GDD for Benton East which represents the Red Mt. AVA. The other data is
Read MoreStormwater testing: timing the rain events is the solution for successful missions vs. expensive, wasted opportunities. Big trouble with simply looking at the latest automated forecast is that precipitation timings and amounts are the least accurate of forecast models. Better estimates are made, given a longer-term look at how models have progressed by a seasoned
Read MoreForensic meteorologists work with attorneys on litigation issues when weather events have an impact on some of the Washington State environmental laws. In particular we are involved with issues in the construction industry, land use, and with stormwater issues. Attorneys often seek expert testimony from experts like a Certified Consulting Meteorologist regarding the weather at
Read MoreWhy is Seattle impacted by any snow Seattle Weather – Snow? Snowstorms in Seattle are a big deal. Why? Lots of hills and the lack of snow removal equipment. Seattle does not get that often thus minimal snow removal equipment. So an inch of wet snow that forms to ice on steep hills are as
Read MoreExtended Weather Forecasts with a focus on the West Coast mountain winter weather outlook 2018-2019 – how will this season’s slopes shape up? While some places may see more snow than others, all of the Pacific Northwest on average will see seasonally dry and warm weather. The Climate Prediction Center (CPC) is projecting warmer temperatures for
Read MoreCalifornia Water Shortage – it’s all about water in the Golden State. The need for the liquid is at least as prominent as anywhere else in the country. Quality drinking water is one thing but only accounts for a minute fraction of total usage. Agricultural and other urban uses require a demand magnitudes higher. Some
Read MoreDoes the southwestern monsoon cause West Coast Wildfires? Monsoons are best known for bringing monsoonal rains but the term specifically refers to a change in a wind pattern, which may enable the presence of inclement weather. A wet monsoon may be a blessing if fighting flames. When winds sourced from the oceans moisten the hot,
Read MoreSevere Weather. The southwestern monsoon, generating severe weather on the West Coast, has been the root of many deaths and hundreds of millions in damages, particularly from flash flooding and lightning. Those figures manifest before any subsidiary threats that may be caused by the storms, such as wildfires. The North American monsoon – a.k.a
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