You might have noticed that my weather colleagues and I have been stepping up efforts on our website to keep you informed and up-to-date about the amazing and often very interesting weather here in the PNW.
I’ve decided that my contribution on the weekend will be about some of the interesting (and wonderfully quirky) weather-related things I’ve learned about life in Seattle and the weather in the PNW. Of course, I will try to keep my musings related to the weather, but since the weather is a huge part of our everyday life, I may comment on a few “shiny objects” that pop in my head.
For instance…. The acronym PNW (Pacific Northwest). I think that should also stand for Pretty Nice Weather. We all know that the rest of the country thinks this area is wet and cold and rainy all the time.
Shortly after I arrived here, I was told that our PNW weather is actually one of our best kept secrets. I’m totally on board with that. When I talk to friends in Florida, I am happy to let them think what they like about the weather in our upper left corner of the country. The PNW has plenty of PNW days.
Of course, the weather is ALWAYS delivering ups and downs and highs and lows and extremes on all fronts. We have enjoyed sunshine and warm weather for the past few days but remember what happened on April 15?
A waterspout formed between Bainbridge Island and Seattle and was followed by hail and graupel that covered the ground in the city. A few hours of weather drama … not PNW.
Remember, the only real difference between a tornado and a waterspout is where they form: a tornado occurs over land, while a waterspout occurs over a body of water. The waterspout we observed on April 15 stayed over the water. Had it moved onshore, it would have technically become a tornado.
And speaking of technical stuff .... it is not correct to say that a tornado ‘touches down’. The whole process of forming a tornado starts with air RISING from the surface (water or land). The better words to use when talking about tornadoes are that they develop, spin up, or simply “form”.
So here is my first ‘shiny object’ in the musing today. We were talking about Pretty Nice Weather in the PNW and I offer up a little lesson about waterspouts and tornadoes.
Next weekend, I plan to share a few of the rules and regulations (unofficial, they may be) about how we deal with our weather and some of the unique phrases and traditions I’ve been introduced to since my transplant last August.
Here’s a preview: ditch the umbrella! Who knew?
If you have some other tips or insight for transplanted meteorologists, please drop me an email.
Adios for now and continue enjoying the PNW this weekend.
-Robert Van Winkle (robert.vanwinkle@kiro7.com)