http://cliffmass.blogspot.com/2011/10/noreasters-versus-northwest-windstorms.html
Look…severe weather in any form, in any location, is not fun after one day. But I’m tired of everyone foo-fooing me when I say that the Northwest gets severe weather as well.
The latest nor’ Easter, while impressively early this year I admit, reminds me of this …
The Northwest also has our weather demons…likely even worse than those vaunted nor’easters! ( but when do you ever hear about it?)
Cliff Mass, the pre-eminent weather guy of the region says….
“In general, the very strongest Northwest cyclones are stronger than the top Nor’easters, with our 1962 Columbus Day storm probably being the most powerful non-tropical coastal storm to hit the U.S. in a century. (Beware–those wily east coasters like to call their storms “Perfect” or “Storm of the Century” and get books and movies made about them. Don’t believe their propaganda–ours are bigger and more powerful).”
It’s only because we have been neglected, in the media and in federal budgets, that this is becoming apparent (something us natives have known for a long time!)
He continues…
“If a big midlatitude cyclone hits the Northwest this year we will have a magnificent view of the details using the new coastal radar. And if our models are wrong about intensity or position, the new radar will enable us to get out timely warnings in time to save property and lives. We have finally caught up to the east coast, where they have had radars looking offshore for decades.”
So what he is saying is just NOW, in 2011 (!!), are we able in the Northwest to scientifically prove that our weather is “worthy” of being bad and worthy of attention on a national scale. We finally got a weather radar for the coastal regions this year (where our weather comes from!)
Again, bad weather everywhere is no fun. Don’t get me wrong. But I wonder how many people have lost their lives in the Northwest because the rest of the country has thought that there are no problems up here other than rainy and cloudy days…