Weather terms you won’t hear anytime soon in Seattle
Jul 25, 2011, 5:50 PM | Updated: 6:07 pm
 A child plays in a sprinkler, Saturday, July 23, 2011, in New York. The National Weather Service said the temperature was 92 degrees in Central Park at 10 a.m., Saturday. Friday’s high was 104. (AP Photo) |
By Stephanie Klein, MyNorthwest.com Editor
Did you enjoy the brief summer-like weather this last weekend only to be disappointed by what you woke up to Monday?
Expect your feelings of disappointment to last through most of the week. According to Jeff Renner, KING-5’s Chief Meteorologist, the cool temperatures will last through Tuesday night. We’ll get a brief break through Thursday, when a low pressure system will return. Highs in the 70s may stick around for the end of the week.
Highs in the 70s? The rest of the country is sweltering. Just a quick Google search yields headlines like “East Coast sees slight relief from heat wave” – msnbc.com, “Heat claims at least ten in region,” – Philadelphia Inquirer, “Heat wave roasts East Coast, cooler temps on way” – Asbury Park Press.
Renner’s is titled “Slamming the door on sun.”
We thought we’d do a search for weather terms you’ll probably never see in Seattle. Here’s what we found:
St. Louis – Excessive heat warning, muggy evening, no rain expected
Houston – Steamy hot Tuesday, intense heat, rain not expected again until Friday
Washington DC – Hot, but less humid
Arkansas – Extreme heat and humidity continue. Heat advisory in effect through at least Tuesday. 20% chance of rain.
Charleston – Need rain!
Tennessee – Chances of rain don’t return until end of the week.
Kansas – Excessive heat warning (105-110), Sunshine expected to be plentiful
New York – Heat index: 90 on Tuesday
New Orleans – Hurricane map available (OK, that’s a given)
The one weather phenomenon we share with most of the rest of the country is the chance of thunderstorms. But while we’re dealing with temperatures in the 50s, everyone else is seeing 70s.
So why are we so different? University of Washington Atmospheric Sciences Professor Cliff Mass explained in , our opposite weather patterns can be attributed to the “coastal weather seesaw.”
The Pacific Ocean keeps us warm in the winter and cool in the summer, while the East Coast gets its weather from the rest of the continent (weather moves West to East), which is cold in the winter and warm in the summer. Sometimes the seesaw tips and we get the warm weather. Read for more detail.
