THE ALEUTIAN LOW & PINEAPPLE EXPRESS

During the winter time a semi-permanent climatological feature develops just south of Alaska, which gets called the "Aleutian Low". As Canada and Alaska's core temperatures decrease, the temperature contrast with the "still cool but relatively mild" Pacific ocean becomes great and broad cyclonic formation forms. Around this counter clockwise flowing broad eddie of air, waves of low pressure, likes spokes on a bicycle, spin. Sometimes these waves interact with a strong Pacific jetstream with winds in excess of 225 mph. This can produce intense storms. The Pacific Northwest has been blasted by such storms over the past two days. Wind gusts have topped 90 mph and waves have reached nearly 40 feet. Inland, above the snow level, up to three feet of snow has fallen in the past 48 hours. (please, please send us some...)

Much of the moisture stems right from the tropics. In fact, check out the yellow highlighted band of clouds. This stream of clouds and rain, which passes right over Hawaii, before arcing up towards the north west often gets called the "Pineapple Express".

Posted by Ted Zarras at 3:46 PM