It is perhaps ironic that when cool, cloudy air floods western Washington as it did yesterday, winds surge in eastern Washington, leading to the potential of rapid wildfire growth.

Turn on those fans and get ready for a summer scorcher: Seattle and areas of Western Washington are poised to see toasty, record-breaking temperatures today. The National Weather Service (NWS) in Seattle is currently predicting high temperatures in the upper 80s and low 90s on Monday due to an area of high pressure over the region before a cooling trend on Tuesday and Wednesday.

But this record-setting heat wave’s remarkable power, size and unusually early appearance is giving meteorologists and climate experts yet more cause for concern about the routinization of extreme weather in an era of climate change. These sprawling, persistent high-pressure zones popularly called “heat domes” are relatively common in later summer months. This current system is different.

The May 7th, 2021 Sustainable, Secure Food Blog explores how wind erosion affects farming in Washington and some solutions farmers can use. According to blogger Andrew McGuire, “Wind erosion is a soil health thief. In both sandy and fine-grained silt soils of Eastern Washington, wind erosion lifts, sifts, and then carries away the best part of the soil. Lost are the tiny particles of clay and silt with the organic matter that is stuck to them.” Local soil conditions make matters worse. Low rainfall produces sparse vegetation, therefore low soil organic matter levels.

But where EXACTLY is the absolutely driest location? Rain sodden western Washingtonians want to know! And the answer should certainly be of interest to agricultural interests...So I next checked locations I thought had the best combination of low elevation and big terrain immediately to the west. First, Desertair, which had nearly exactly 5 inches a year since 2009. Then, Mattawa E. in Grant County. OMG. A 4.6 inches average for 2008 to 2020.

This winter has been dominated by La Nina. a period of below-normal sea surface temperatures in the tropical Pacific. The implications of La Nina have been profound for the West Coast, with above-normal snowpack in the Northwest and dry conditions over the southwest U.S.

An atmospheric river event known as the "Pineapple Express" is forecast to bring a prolonged period of wet weather and the potential for avalanches to Washington and Oregon beginning Sunday.