Funny money, big numbers | Column

For most Americans, a penny at the gas pump has vivid significance but billions of dollars create a meaningless blur. Increasingly, we are unable to fathom the really big numbers in our modern world, a condition known as innumeracy.

Read More ›

4:17 PM May 16, 2012 0

Transparent city | Editorial

Transparency, another city hall staple promised by newly elected mayor Tim Matthes, went by the way side last week. For a few hours, Matthes ordered at least three department heads to not provide information to the Port Orchard Independent.

Read More ›

4:16 PM May 16, 2012 0

U.S. Climate Versus Weather Computers: Climate Wins

Why is the U.S. government provide hugely more computer resources for climate prediction than weather prediction?  And why is far more emphasis given to climate prediction research than weather prediction research and development?In some past blogs I talked about the unfortunate lack of computer resources available to the National Weather Service (NWS), resulting in the...

Read More ›

Blogs 11:16 PM May 15, 2012 Cliff Mass Weather Blog, a Community Blog

Jalapeños all in a day’s work on SKTV

South Kitsap High School’s TV station has operated for 15 years

Read More ›

updated 1:26 PM May 14, 2012 0

Cold Records with Warm Temperatures

On Saturday it became toasty here in Northwest, with many locations gets into the 70s and lower 80s.  Yet a number of locations exprienced daily minimum temperature records in the morning--here is the proof from the National Climatic Data Center records website.  The blue dot indicate a tie for the record and stations with an...

Read More ›

Blogs 8:28 AM May 13, 2012 Cliff Mass Weather Blog, a Community Blog

Summer in May

It is a climatological oddity of Northwest meteorology that we often get a period of very warm, dry weather sometime in the second or third week of May, followed by a retreat into the dismal June Gloom.  Well folks, we are about to have the heat wave--one that will bring near 80F temps to Seattle,...

Read More ›

Blogs 10:44 PM May 10, 2012 Cliff Mass Weather Blog, a Community Blog

The Windiest Place along the West Coast

As the U.S. West Coast enters the warm season, one area is getting very windy, particularly during  the afternoon and evenings.   Day after day this region will be hit by 20-30 mph winds, often with higher gusts.   A region, where the afternoon is often too windy to be on the beach, with wind-driven sandy stinging...

Read More ›

Blogs 3:57 PM May 9, 2012 Cliff Mass Weather Blog, a Community Blog

Prom Closet Boutique gives students a chance to dress up

Coordinator hopes program also will benefit South Kitsap Helpline

Read More ›

updated 3:43 PM May 9, 2012 0

Soil Temperatures and Gardening

The question that many amateur gardeners like myself often ask is:Why are my seeds not germinating and rotting in the soil?When will the soil be warm enough to sow my seeds or transplant my plants? Well, I don't pretend to be an expert in this, but I suspect it has something to do so with...

Read More ›

Blogs 11:30 PM May 6, 2012 Cliff Mass Weather Blog, a Community Blog

Warmth Returns

You don't need to be a meteorologist to know that we have been substantially cooler than normal the past five days--on both sides of the Cascades.  Here is a sample from Seattle and Pasco.  Roughly 5-10F below normal on the max temps. The reason?  A persistent trough over the Northwest, as shown by this upper level...

Read More ›

Blogs 9:55 AM May 5, 2012 Cliff Mass Weather Blog, a Community Blog

Pioneer Weather Complaints

Some things never change.One can not be considered a Northwesterner if you don't grouse about our endless cool, showery weather during Spring.  And it turns out that our pioneer ancestors---more than 150 years ago--were doing the same thing.Let's go back to 1855 and the town of Steilacoom on Puget Sound's waters.  In a hard-hitting commentary...

Read More ›

Blogs 9:16 PM May 2, 2012 Cliff Mass Weather Blog, a Community Blog

Community Blogroll

  • Cliff Mass Weather Blog
    Cliff Mass is a UW professor of Atmospheric Sciences. He blogs about the local in the Pacific Northwest.