Nowhere to Go But Up

It's not as nasty as yesterday's heavy drizzle, but this afternoon's weather in the Washington DC metro area is still a lot like the Other Washington. Occasional breaks in the clouds have allowed some warming to push temperatures into the upper 60s to 70 range with even some low 70s in the southern parts of the region. Intermittent light rain ended at National shortly after noon, with only 0.01" recorded today. The nearest organized precipitation on radar is over northern New Jersey, Long Island, and offshore. This precipitation is circulating around a stubborn low pressure area centered east of New Jersey. Although this is a non-tropical low, it has been fed by tropical moisture, leading to flooding in large parts of the Northeast.

Tonight and Tomorrow

Clouds tonight should gradually diminish towards morning with lows near 56. Tomorrow looks like a great day to get in one more lawn mowing: mostly sunny and highs around 77.

Tropical Beat

The tropical Atlantic still has no organized activity, but it's not for lack of trying. There are tropical waves near longitudes 32W, 42W, and 58W, and there is a low pressure area near Jamaica which is being monitored for development.

Climate Clues

Speaking of the Other Washington, the RealClimate blog has links to an interesting set of articles from the Seattle Times. The paper published an extensive article on global warming on Sunday. This was followed on Wednesday by a Q and A in which climate scientists answered readers' questions. (WeatherTalk guys, are you listening?)

Geeky Weather Humor

"Question: Where did the meteorologist stop for a drink on the way home after a long day in the studio?
Answer: The nearest isobar."
"Question: What comes after 2 days of rain in Seattle?
Answer: Monday."
"Isohyet: A line of constant hotels."
"Water vapor channel: The channel that comes after MTV."

If this kind of humor appeals to you, check out meteorology's version of the Style Invitational. These are some of the entries in the Coin-A-Phenomenon #3 joke contest from the September issue of the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society. The latest contest is looking for funny definitions of terms related to tropical storms (tropical depression, feeder bands, etc.). Entries may be submitted to letterstotheeditor at ametsoc dot org. The deadline is November 1.