We don’t get many thunderstorms or tornadoes hereabouts. In winter we’ll get an occasional snow or ice storm that paralyzes the region, due to our challenging topography and the lack of snow removal equipment. Our main weird weather phenomenon is the “Pineapple Express”, a warm front that comes off the Pacific Ocean and foments chaos due to high winds and torrential rains. University of Washington professor, weather blogger, and fellow Cornell alum Cliff Mass gave a blow-by-blow description of the storm on his blog today.
Pineapple Expresses are notorious for causing power outages, traffic jams, flash flooding, and heavy snows in the mountains. The National Park Service warned people not to visit Mount Rainier this weekend because of the risk of nasty weather. Thus far the main casualty here is the preponderance of fallen evergreen needles on the driveway and decks. We have a “river” (more aptly called a slough, because its flow is controlled by a dam on Lake Sammamish) in our backyard, but it’s well within its banks. I foresee a lot of trick-or-treaters wearing garbage bags over their costumes tonight. Happy Halloween, and stay dry!
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