Bruce Sussman Portland Weather

Oklahoma Tornado: From The Air & From Space

Bruce Sussman — Tue, 21 May 2013 22:23:57 +0000

The National Weather Service has upgraded the Moore, Oklahoma tornado’s strength to an EF-5 tornado, with wind speeds of 200-210mph.

Aerial pictures like this (tweeted by @WCL_Shawn) show the view from above today, May 21, 2013. Somewhere on the ground amid the rubble, investigators from the National Weather Service.

They spent today looking at the damage–but it goes beyond that. They can actually determine the windspeeds by comparing how strongly structures were built with what’s left of them… Read more

Developing:Deadly Oklahoma Tornado

Bruce Sussman — Tue, 21 May 2013 01:39:08 +0000

It’s heartbreaking.

Pictures like this AP photo of a woman carrying a child away from the devastation in Moore, Oklahoma on the afternoon of May 20, 2013.

Preliminary Tornado Strength: EF-4 with wind speeds up to 200mph.

Death Toll: Sure to climb as searches go through rubble

The most powerful types of tornadoes (EF-4 & EF-5) make us just 1% of the tornadoes in the United States each year. But they account for 67%… Read more

Ring Of Fire From Solar Eclipse, Down Under

Bruce Sussman — Fri, 10 May 2013 06:29:26 +0000

Friday morning May 10, 2013 was spectacular in some parts of Australia.

This is a picture of the so-called “Ring Of Fire” where the moon passing in front of the sun is not quite big enough to cover the entire sun as we see it.

I found this photo by Nicole Hollenbeck on one of my favorite sites, spaceweather.com.

And for fun, check ou the Realtime Eclipse Photo Gallery.

Updated: Spring, Summer 2013 Northwest Weather Outlook

Bruce Sussman — Sat, 04 May 2013 06:33:03 +0000

Ahhh, Spring.

A lot of sun time.

Blue sky above the KOIN Tower (shown here).

And warm weather most of the time.

Uh, most years, this would describe anywhere but the Pacific Northwest, including Portland and the Willamette Valley.

But so far, Spring 2013 has been unusually dry and warm. And that overall trend may take us right into a hot & dry northwest summer.

See the brown colors? Those are the places that… Read more

Oregon Summer Water, Streamflow, Reservoir Forecast

Bruce Sussman — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 04:35:38 +0000

Remember the water wars of summer’s past?

Where thousands of fish died in Klamath County and farmers and ranchers were angry because no one had enough water to go around?

Or how about the year Oregon’s Detroit Lake was so low that boat docks sat on dirt–instead of in the water?

I remember do live reports–from the lake bed around this dock!

Now, with a much drier than normal 3 1/2 month start… Read more

The Deadliest Tornado That Ever Hit Portland And Vancouver

Bruce Sussman — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 19:50:46 +0000

April 5, 1972.

Vancouver, Washington.

As the Oregonian headline reported the next day…the tornado killed 6 people and hurt 300.

It was the Portland-Vancouver metro area’s deadliest weather day in history.

Now, check out the new video the National Weather Service in Portland, Oregon put together. It tells the complete story.

Portland’s Warmest March Days In More Than Half A Century Plus Incredible Highs Along The Oregon Coast

Bruce Sussman — Sun, 31 Mar 2013 06:49:04 +0000

There’s always a day each spring when everyone suddenly comes out of ‘hibernation’.

And Saturday March 30, 2013 was definitely that day.

And it was Portland’s hottest March day in almost two decades with a high of 77 degrees, a new record high for the date. As it turns out, Saturday was just for starters.

Here’s the graphic I used on the 11 o’clock news Saturday night. One other fact? Of all… Read more

Rare Tornado Hits Southwest Washington

Bruce Sussman — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 05:56:12 +0000

This is the storm cell that suddenly intensified as it moved from Battle Ground, Washington to Hockinson.

The National Weather Service confirms it was an EF-O (zero) with wind speeds somewhere between 65-85mph. This is the weakest type of tornado on the Enhanced Fujita Scale and it’s the most common type of tornado we see in Oregon and Washington — the states rank 48th and 49th out of 50 states when it comes… Read more

Climate Change: Yes vs. No – And The Way The Two Sides Battle

Bruce Sussman — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 06:02:03 +0000

Is man-made climate change altering the world and sending us toward a tipping point?

–OR–

Are changes in our climate dominated by earth’s natural cycles and variation and that drives what happens?

Chances are you’re in one camp or the other. And tonight I read a great blog post on the battle between the two sides–and it includes an amazing voting record chart that shows what a battle this has become.

… Read more

New Estimates On How Mega-Quake Will Devastate Oregon and Washington

Bruce Sussman — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 06:50:11 +0000

Almost exactly two years after the Japan mega-quake and tsunami, Oregon lawmakers heard the grim news:

It’s only a matter of time before the next mega-quake and tsunami happen off the coast of Oregon, Washington and Northern California. And the damage and devastation–and loss of life–will be like anything we Oregonians and Washingtonians have seen in our lifetime.

Check out the chilling article on the coming Cascadia… Read more