Re: Anomalous SSTs near California

From: Bob Harrington (rch.NOS-PAM_at_blarg.net)
Date: 08/27/04

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    Date: Fri, 27 Aug 2004 23:56:19 GMT

    Scott wrote:
    > Matthew F. Talbot wrote:
    >> Looking at the SST link from the Tropical Prediction Center page,
    >> I've noticed a large area of higher-than-normal SSTs off the west
    >> coast of the US during this summer. The current page at
    >> http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/aboutsst.shtml? shows anomalies of up to 3
    >> degrees C.
    >>
    >> It seems to me that this could portend a pretty active and stormy
    >> rainy season for California, since more moisture will be available to
    >> storms due to increased evaporation, plus the warmer SST will tend to
    >> destabilize the air above them due to the temperature differential.
    >>
    >> Thoughts?
    >
    > That's an interesting link. It does look like the combo
    > of the warm anomalies west of LA and the cold anomlies
    > northwest of that should enhance a tropical feed of moisture
    > to the pacific NW. Are there still drought conditions there?
    > Maybe this suggests they're about to end :)

    Or have already - Seattle has had 3 inches of rain in August so far,
    normal about 0.8" - a definite turnaround from our dry spring and early
    summer. This rain came primarily in two or three unusually wet systems,
    the last one with leftover moisture from a defunct W Pacific typhoon.

    Weird year - started out extremely wet last fall, then quite dry up
    until about three weeks ago. Since Jan 1, we've had about 88% of normal
    precip, but 107% for the wet season starting Oct 1.

    I'm much happier with the cool and gray.

    Bob ^,,^

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