News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
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Watching the evening television news is something I typically don’t do. There are a few reasons why. There is the widespread TV news edict, “If it burns or bleeds, it leads.” Next, there is the never-ending prescription drug advertising that is most prevalent on the national networks. Let me share an interesting fact — of the 195 nations on Earth, only two permit prescription drug advertising directed at potential consumers. It’s called direct-to-consumer advertising, or DTC. Who are those two...
We view voting as an acknowledged right here in the United States. In Washington state, we receive our ballot in the mail, we do our personal research, make our choices, and mail in our completed ballot. Currently, eight states allow mail in ballots for all elections, while two states allow counties to opt into conducting elections by mail. Nine states allow specific small elections to be conducted by mail, and four states permit all-mail elections for certain small jurisdictions. The remaining...
Developing exciting, supplemental courses that young learners will become motivated about can be challenging. Some schools have proven that it can be done. I don’t recall any supplemental classes when I attended elementary school. Of course, those days are deep in the recesses of my mind, nearly lost to memory. A friend sent me a news item about a school program that peaked my attention. It was about a supplemental course in weather. Sierra House Elementary School is located in South Lake T...
Back on Jan. 11, Peter Funt's column appeared in The Star newspaper, titled, "Cry me an atmospheric river." The author wrote about some of the terms used in weather forecasting, and how news media have sprinkled melodramatic dust on these terms, causing some to react like the person in the painting, "The Scream," by Norwegian artist Edvard Munch. Let's take a leisurely swim into the waters of the phrase "atmospheric river." It is real, and is recognized by meteorologists. Yet, it shouldn't...
As we begin a new year, I thought it relevant to consider our home planet — Earth. Maybe, like you, when I view images being obtained by the James Webb Space Telescope it validates a personal observation: Earth is inconsequential in the totality of Space. Our limited scientific knowledge offers a hypothesis; there could be other planets in other universes that can support life forms. Humans have visited the Moon, and they will again. Now, there are proposals to visit Mars. Both require life support systems so one can simply survive in those h...
Looking over weather data from my personal weather station of the past five winters, December, January and February, were interesting, though no trends are revealed. A half decade of data does not create a trend. It's just not enough data to crunch and draw some conclusions. I mention this because it's arbitrary to make a statement about climate solely based on short-term weather observations. I've included a chart with data for low temperature and snowfall for the past five years. As you can...
There have been a few letters to the editor of The Star newspaper regarding the unofficial “announcement” of Dollar General Corporation being interested in establishing a store in Grand Coulee. I say unofficial because the origin of this statement was made by a non-employee of Dollar General Corporation. The corporation, which headquartered in Tennessee and was founded in 1939, currently operates over 18,000 stores in 47 states. Committing a bit of time, I searched the internet for bac...
Join me on a deep dive into the limited use of Tactical Nuclear Weapons. You ask, why this subject, it’s just unthinkable! Unthinkable yes, though it is plausible. The questions I wanted answered are: What effects these weapons may have on both short-term weather and long-term climate. Tactical nuclear weapons are generally characterized by “their size, their range, or their use for limited military targets.” For nine months, a war has been ongoing in Eastern Europe. Lately, the leader of the a...
Wondering why NASA sent a car-sized satellite to crash into an asteroid? Let’s take a look and see why. An “impact event” is when an astronomical object, like an asteroid, causes measurable effects on impact. When an asteroid hits Earth, depending on its size, it will, and they have, caused measurable results to many things, including the weather. Earth is regularly hit by meteoroids, the things we call meteors. Meteors are a meter or less (over 3.3 feet) in size. We see them shooting acros...
We just completed Summer 2022. Before you say, “wait, summer isn’t over yet,” let me remind you there are two ways to look at our seasons. The information here is based on meteorological seasons, not astronomical. Meteorological seasons are based on the annual temperature cycle. On the other hand, Astronomical seasons are based on the position of the sun relative to Earth. Meteorological season are as follows -- Spring is March, April and May. Summer is June, July and August. Fall is Septe...
This month I'll start with an interesting research project. The study involved data gathered more than 200 years ago. For the period of 1826 through 1872, citizens in New York state made observations and collecting data on basic natural events. Those early observers used thermometers and rain gauges; they also watched seasonal changes unfold. These citizens documented when certain species of birds arrived, specific trees started to leaf out, when strawberries ripened and when wheat harvests...
There are some who have what it takes. I'm not talking about outstanding pro athletes, astronauts, or mountaineers. I am talking about weather forecasters. I recently visited the Spokane National Weather Service office and spoke with Steven Van Horn, a forecaster a that office. He has what it takes. Van Horn shared with me the requirements needed to become a weather forecaster. "I went to University of California, Davis to get my bachelor's degree in atmospheric science." He explained that...
Our weather forecasts originate from the National Weather Service. How you get your weather forecast varies a lot. There are numerous weather phone apps. All television and radio stations provide weather forecasts, and there are the all-weather sites on the Internet. The data used is from the National Weather Service. What the weather service produces is in the public domain — it belongs to all of us. Weather Service data, as well as data from the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (...
With the wildfires burning in Arizona, New Mexico, and Colorado, one would think we were in summer fire season already. Though, the reality is, it’s mid spring, and fire season is now nearly year-round. In last month’s column, I shared the status of drought for our region. We have not recovered from drought conditions, it’s still here. Looking at the National Integrated Drought Information System, the dryness will continue. For Washington state, the eastern portion is in drought. These condition...
Spring has arrived! We all are feeling the relief from the overcast, damp, and cold winter weather; it’s behind us once again. Spring is here and summer is fast approaching. Some of you may recall this movie quote. A contestant is asked to describe her perfect date. “That’s a tough one. I’d have to say April 25. Because it’s not too hot, not too cold. All you need is a light jacket.” Our mood is affected by the weather. In the field of human psychology, some studies address the association...
We’ve all seen the flash of lightning and heard the aftermath of the lightning bolt — the loud clap of thunder. There are three basic elements needed to form lightning. An unstable atmosphere, moisture, and some type of atmospheric action to get the air moving. Most lightning activity we see occurs during our summer months here in the Coulee. Yet, there have been some occurrences of lightning during the winter too. According to NOAA’s National Severe Storms Laboratory, lightning is one of the o...
The recent eruption of the Tonga volcano was captured by various geostationary satellites showing us the size and scale of that eruption. The eruption plume was about 162 miles in diameter before upper winds disrupted it. The Tonga volcano, officially called the Hunga-Tonga-Hunga-Ha’apai volcano, is mostly under water. It is about 12.5 miles wide and is 6,000 feet high. The volcano is 40 miles north of capital of Tonga (175˚23’W, 20˚33’S). This volcano’s recent past activity was in 2009 and...
Before we visit the final 2021 weather data for our region, a dryer, warmer year, we will explore the subject of drought — something we’ve been experiencing for several months now. When we study weather events like tornadoes, thunderstorms, or hurricanes, we need to add drought as a weather event as well. What makes drought different is its longevity and its beginning and ending periods. Drought is the near total absence of rainwater for a prolonged period of time. Looking at our pre...
In a space of 7 miles Here’s a further perspective. Four communities, or neighborhoods, that have a combined population of 3,378 (current Census), a distance of 7 miles or 15 minutes from the southernmost to the northernmost town. Today, as Scott states, 20 council members and 4 mayors for a population of less than 3,400 people. Each town competes with the others, duplicating efforts for such things as grant dollars for various and important community needs and improvements. Fire protection, ambulance and police needs are contracts or a...
Several interesting research efforts have provided findings about our atmosphere and its content. Here are two that I found to be noteworthy and wanted to share them here. Just last month the Journal of Climate published the work of five climate scientists. Their work addressed historic Northern Hemisphere large concurrent heatwaves driven by changing atmospheric circulations. Remember the heatwave we witnessed in June 2021? Our new all-time high temperature for that month is now at 112˚F. Up...
Meteorological winter starts in less than a month. Meteorologists say winter is the three-month block of December, January and February. Astronomical winter starts Dec. 22. Dependent on which “winter” you choose to start your winter, get ready, because it’s coming. La Niña conditions are in place for this winter. Over at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) they explained what the nation in general might expect. “…La Niña winters tend to be drier and warmer across the...
Together we have experienced another astronomical event, we are now in autumn. Temperatures are falling and many of us are breathing a slight sigh of relief. Wildfire smoke has dissipated, yet we are still in drought. Nationally, our region is in the sixth percentile of Exceptional Drought, also known as “D4.” Areas to our south are still burning. The largest wildfire still active, the Dixie Fire in Northern California, is well over 900,000 acres. Here in Washington state, the Schneider Spr...
Before we examine what scientists are expressing about our upcoming 2021-22 winter, I want to share a recap of 2021 summer weather data. Let’s take it month by month. June — six days over 100˚F, 16 days over 90, high temperature of 113.8˚F and 0.49 inches of precipitation. July — four days over 100, 14 days over 90, high temperature of 104.1 and 0.08 inches of precipitation. August — five days over 100, 10 days over 90, high temperature of 104.1 and 0.42 inches of precipitation. For the three...
Last month we looked at our June heat wave that was created by a heat dome. The drought we are currently in was written about as well. In this column I will take a deeper dive into drought with a look back at historic droughts in the nation. Put your hiking boots on and let’s take a dusty walk back into history and look at droughts from our North American past. Scientists and historians have done the research and have shared their results of major droughts here in the United States. As their r...
Like the air we breathe, electricity, that magical stuff behind the light switch, is taken for granted by a majority of people. Flip a switch, the lights come on. We are dependent on energy 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. As populations continue to grow and their need for more and “cleaner” energy grows too, the demand for more production of it will become central in the not-so-distant future. The production of energy comes in many forms. We’ve been made aware of issues related to some forms...
