Forecasting Kitsap

OK! Now on to the real action for tonight. Because the wind flow has switched to southwesterly, expect periods of heavy rain; heaviest over south Kitsap (2-2.5”), though the rest of Kitsap County could see anywhere from 1-2 additional inches of rain. In fact, the Kitsap area is under a FLOOD WATCH until early tomorrow morning.

I think we ought to be grateful, though, that the heavy rain started so late here. If it had started as soon as surrounding areas, we could be talking about major floods!

So, expect heavy rain through the night. The heaviest precipitation should be overwith by 2-3 AM, so the morning commute will be wet–like Washington wet…nothing too unusual. For the rest of your Thursday, look for mostly cloudy skies with light rain showers. Highs will be in the mid to upper 40s.

Friday has looked and STILL looks quite pleasant…well, at least compared to the past few days. Skies will be partly to mostly cloudy, but it doesn’t look like a rainy day so if there are any outdoor plans for Friday you should be A-OK. Highs will be more seasonable in the low to mid 40s.

The rain returns Saturday afternoon and lasts through the weekend, though at this time precipitation looks relatively light and harmless. Highs will be, again, in the low to mid 40s.

And then Mother Nature FINALLY discovers our white surrender flags we’ve been waving since mid December. A large ridge of high pressure builds out over the area leading the way to partly to mostly sunny skies and comfortable temperatures in the mid and upper 40s. **DISCLAIMER** I’m sure you knew there was a catch…with all the rain we’ve been receiving lately, moist roadways under partially clear nights will almost certainly lead to areas of morning fog–perhaps extended fog well into the afternoon hours. If that ends up being the case, it could really skew the high temperature forecast. For now, stay tuned!

INFO ON THE MOUNTAINS

Uggghhh…I’ve never been skiing, but I’m not sure I’d want to go on my first bunny course with the weather the way it is right now… What really pushes my buttons about these subtropical “Pineapple Express” systems (the term “Pineapple Express” basically means the weather pattern originates from Hawaii and it tends to carry a lot of warm, moist air with it. See picture) 

 is that they usually cause the snow level to skyrocket, leaving the mountains with a warm, killer rain. They are forecasted to receieve 8-15” of rain by the time this whole event is over, and the Cascades are under a AVALANCHE WARNING so it is advised to not travel or backpack during this time (why you would want to backpack in this weather is a mystery to me, but just thought I’d mention it!) Ski resorts are still open at this time, but check back within the next couple days as the mudslide/avalanche danger could ruin the fun for skiers and snowboarders.

Stay tuned to this blog for any updated weather changes and stay safe!

Matthew Leach                                                                                                                           Kitsap Weather

7 DAY FORECAST

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Tags: avalanche, flooding, kitsap weather, mountains, pineapple express, rain shadow

This entry was posted on Wednesday, January 7th, 2009 at 6:14 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.