Good News:Washington State to Get Coastal RadarFor those of you who aren't familiar with the Pacific Northwest, Seattle isn't actually on the coast. It's very far inland. We sit on a body of saltwater called Puget Sound, which connects to a much larger body of saltwater called the Strait of Juan de Fuca, which itself travels far west before opening out onto the Pacific Ocean. The western part of our state is primarily an undeveloped expanse of small towns, Indian reservations, managed forests, and Olympic National Park.
Thus, because most of Washington's population is inland, we don't have any radars on the coast. Existing radars can't cover it, either: The Olympic Mountains block radar coverage of the ocean off our coast and across the southwestern part of the state (where the most precipitation falls). This is a blind spot for the Pacific Northwest in particular and even for the nation as a whole, because so many national storms come through the Pacific Northwest first. Radar coverage extending out to sea, and also covering the windward side of the wettest mountains in the country, would enable fantastically better prediction and interpretation of upcoming weather events.
I'm pissed at the whole Senate right now, but Senator Maria Cantwell from my own Washington State is the force in Congress who made this happen. Congratulations to her. This is a big thing, far bigger than its seven million dollars in funding would suggest.
