I’ve always been fascinated by the way people describe the weather. Growing up in Dallas I loved to watch a blue norther move in across the plains. You could see the wind pushing the clouds along before your actually felt the first chill breeze. Later, living in Boston, I learned first hand about the power and ferocity of a nor’easter as three blizzards in three weeks buried the city. In Cleveland we watched out for Canadian clippers, fast moving weather patterns that brought a plunge in temperatures from our northern neighbors.
Living in Seattle we are learning new terms. Sun breaks are exactly what they sound like, brief periods of sun in an otherwise overcast day. When the weather is clear we talk about the mountain being out – the mountain in this case is our beloved Mount Rainier. A silver thaw is a clear coating of ice – beautiful but deadly. But my favorite so far is pineapple express, a term used to describe what happens when the Pacific Ocean subtropical jet stream brings moisture-laden air from Hawaii to our part of the world. If you breathe deeply you can almost smell the sunshine through the rain.
Image: A sun break over the Olympic mountains, taken January 2007.
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