Spring and summer streamflow forecasts...

have been published for 1 April 2012, and as expected, show that drainage basins in the Pacific Northwest are well above average due to the late season and record-breaking precipitation that occurred in March.  But down here, in southern Utah in the heart of the Colorado River basin, runoff is anticipated to be well below average.  Typical for a La Niña year, which is exactly what was predicted.

UPDATE: Idaho water supply strong heading to summer. But you already knew that having read this blog post.

Time to head to the desert...

since March is now third-wettest on record in Spokane:

"Spokane recorded 0.62 inch of rain through 5 p.m. today, pushing the total for the month to 3.31 inches. That eclipses last March when 3.25 inches fell. The wettest March was in 1995 at 3.81 inches."

Here's a convenient web page showing the flooding status for streams in eastern Washington and northern Idaho.

Indeed, this is hastening my departure for southern Utah later this week where I'll spend spring term engaged in various research projects during my leave from the university.

UPDATED and BUMPED: Spokane sets March rainfall record.  It's official.  Soggiest March on record since 1881.

Dynamic wind map...

traces air flow over the US in near real time based on one-hour differences in barometric pressure.  It's zoomable, but I wish you could toggle on/off state boundaries.

Don't stare at it too long.  It's hypnotic.

Every form of precipitation...

fell this afternoon at my digital cottage in the forest, and now the sun is peeking out.  Here's a snap of some pea-sized hail on the back deck at around 4 pm (click to enlarge):

It almost seems like winter's throwing everything at us as the first day of spring approaches.

The snow is adding up slowly...

on the back deck over the last day and a half:

Finally, here comes winter...

Here's the link to the NOAA/NWS forecast.  Some significant accumulation of snow is predicted in the week ahead.

La Niña a bust...

in the Pacific Northwest: Snow May Be a No-Show. Dang.

First snow of the season...

flies in eastern Washington this blustery afternoon (click to enlarge):

I hope this is a harbinger of a good snowy winter.

La Niña advisory issued for winter...

in the Pacific Northwest, according to the latest Weather Watcher Newsletter (.pdf):

"What this means for the Inland Northwest is more seasonal weather through the fall. But as we move into winter, there is a better chance for below normal temperatures and above normal precipitation for the Inland Northwest."

Terrific. I enjoyed the snowy weather last year.  Bring it on.

Dreary weather...

in Spokane is breaking records, and has everybody down:

• Rainfall Record Falls For Second Day In A Row
• April Going Down As One Of The Coolest

Glad I'm heading to Florida for a few days.

And Elvis will return too...

Magnetic Polar Shifts Causing Massive Global Superstorms

Spokane breaks record...

for snowiest November with 25.9 inches. The previous record stood since 1955, and I personally hope for a similarly snowy December.

One of the snowiest...

Novembers in eastern Washington is in the making, as evidenced by this shot behind my cottage in the forest:

Helen is quite happy playing in the snow:

And she's taken to cross-country skiing, too, following Rachel and me around the half-mile track we've created out the back door:

Maybe I should hang a bottle of whiskey around her neck during these winter adventures.

They say a lot of things...

Winter Could be a Whopper, Forecasters Say

I guess we'll see.  Snowfall statistics for the Inland Northwest during La Niña conditions can be found here.

With just a few weeks to go...

until the arrival of the first day of summer, here's the latest from the "global warming is hell" department, ripped from recent headlines:

• Snow record dies, but your tomatoes should live
• Record low of 32 set at Spokane airport today
• Just the thing for Memorial Day - skiing

Yes, I am very aware that weather isn't climate. However, that won't stop the media from linking record high temperatures this summer with human-caused global warming. Just wait. And watch. And read.

Perhaps it's a miracle?

Residents stunned as hundreds of fish fall out of the sky over remote Australian desert town.

Well, experts say a lot of things...

WEATHER: HOTTEST JANUARY EVER SAY CLIMATE EXPERTS

UPDATE: Unprecedented snow fall and frigid temperatures in Great Britain.

What a difference...

a year makes. I captured this image of the entrance to my driveway one year ago after record snows in December 2008 (click to enlarge). For comparison, there is less than an inch of snow on the ground today.

By the way, my spray painted editorial elicited a lot of response from local drivers.

Western hemisphere weather...

visualization showing clouds using the Goddard Earth Observing System Model, Verison 5 (GEOS-5) at 7 km resolution for the period from 17 August through 21 August 2009 (click on image for 3 MB MPEG-4 video). This visualization was designed to closely match a GOES satellite image for comparison purposes.

Mesmerizing.

Confounded dataset shows...

that record highs outpace record lows during the last decade. Balance that report with the information included in this previous post about the extraordinarily flawed nature of the temperature monitoring network established in the US, while also reading this rebuttal.

Mark Twain said it best: "There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics."