You've probably heard the saying, "the flap of a butterfly's wings in Brazil can set off a tornado in Texas." The butterfly effect is a phenomenon in fluid dynamics, relevant in weather, too, given the atmosphere is fluid. Even the smallest perturbations in the atmosphere can lead to substantial differences over a period of time, reminding us that everything is connected.
Weather in Washington has implications and impacts on the weather in other parts of the U.S. This is particularly magnified currently as the weather pattern over the Pacific Northwest will have important impacts on the eventual track and evolution of Hurricane Ian in the northern Caribbean.
A developing ridge of high pressure over the PNW will bring warmth to Washington, but more importantly, downstream will influence the development of a trough of low pressure. The PNW ridge is an arc-like, northward curve in the jet stream, whereas the trough downstream will be a southward movement of the jet stream. This southward dip of the jet stream will play a role in influencing the track of Ian, which strengthened into a hurricane early Monday, by influencing just how far west or east the system tracks before getting scooped up to the north. Read more
The Seattle Seahawks played their first Sunday home game of the 2022 NFL Season against the Atlanta Falcons, hoping to get back in the win column after a tough loss to the rival San Francisco 49ers in Week 2.
Geno Smith played a mostly efficient game, tossing two touchdown passes and posting a triple-digit passer rating through the first two quarters. However, a struggling run defense and a costly mistake in the final minutes ultimately culminated in a disappointing 27-23 loss to the previously winless Falcons.
Check out our three takeaways as the Seahawks fell to 1-2 on the season. Read more
Lower Arrivals Drive at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) will be closed overnight this week so crews can demolish an unused ramp as part of a project to improve transit.
Full Lower Arrivals Drive closures will begin every night at midnight, beginning Monday, and will last until 7 a.m. The project is expected to be completed by 7 a.m. Thursday. A single lane closure will continue until 8:30 a.m. each day.
Airport officials said traffic will be diverted to Upper Departures Drive, and drivers should expect additional traffic congestion.
During the closure periods, courtesy vehicles, such as hotel and parking shuttles, will be relocated to the northeast ground transportation lot on the first floor of the airport parking garage, according to SEA. Read more
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the U.S. Navy will begin efforts to recover the wreckage of the floatplane that crashed off Whidbey Island on Sept. 4.
The U.S. Navy will use a work class remotely operated vehicle (ROV) Deep Drone 8,000, a barge and a crane to recover the wreckage from the seafloor. Officials said the ROV will collect smaller pieces of wreckage into baskets and connect the wreckage for the crane to lift, the NTSB said. This will be a "24/7 operation" once the barge is in place.
Some items from the airplane have already been recovered, according to the NTSB, including foam fragments from the plane's floats, a seat cushion, a seatbelt, dispatch paperwork, flooring structure remnants and some personal items from the victims.
The NTSB released its preliminary report on Sept. 16 detailing the moments leading to the floatplane crash. NTSB said the information contained in the report is preliminary and subject to change as the investigation progresses. Read more
Westbound Interstate 90 at Mercer Island reopened Sunday after closing on Friday for expansion joint repairs.
The closure allowed Washington State Department of Transportation crews to repair an expansion joint that connects the Homer Hadley Bridge to the west side of Mercer Island.
The closures created significant traffic backups as travelers going to Seattle from the Eastside or Mercer Island were forced to use I-405 or pay a toll and use the State Route 520 Bridge. The closures also coincided with home games for the University of Washington football team on Saturday and the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday. Read more
RELATED: Western Washington Forecast
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