It's a numbers game, really. And numbers are a funny thing. Most of us want the numbers at the gas pump to go down. And the numbers in our 401k plans to go up. But if you're a tulip grower in Oregon's Willamette Valley?Then you want the number 60 (degrees) to come up early and often along … [Read more...]
La Nina Delivers Wet, Record Cool March 2011 For Northwest
Updated: 3/31/2011 I tend to feel most sorry for golfers and gardeners as winter turns into spring on the calendar--but not in water logged yards or on mushy fairways. And let's face it: walking the dog in Washington and  Oregon has been a chilling and damp experience much of this … [Read more...]
An Interview With “Rainbirds” Who Escape The Northwest Rainy Season
We all know about snowbirds, right? They're  people who leave places like North Dakota and bitter cold and snow for somewhere warmer down south. Well, here in the northwest we have our own version of those people: rainbirds! And in my continuing series of Friday interviews, I'm talking with … [Read more...]
Northwest Winter 2010 Wrap-Up, Spring 2011 Forecast
It's a classic spring photo: Maty, the dog, wearing her lei on the first day of Spring near Bend, Oregon. P-o-o-r Maty! Shannon Mendiola tweeted this photo and says she wishes Central Oregon snow would stop now that it's spring but she resigned herself to whatever comes: "it is what it is!" If … [Read more...]
Northwest Weather: February 2011 Report Card
After an extended vacation that started in January, La Nina returned and unpacked her bags by the end of February. The charts says it all. And it's the way we ended February 2011 that caused so many mudslides in Oregon and Washington. Still, the month overall was much different than the … [Read more...]
La Nina To The Northwest: I’m Still Running The Show
For awhile, La Nina seemed to be on vacation. Much of January was dry, snow-pack was shrinking and you needed sunglasses more than a winter coat. That was then and this is now. La Nina To The Northwest: I'm Still Running The Show Let's compare what La Nina should mean for our winter … [Read more...]