If you have ventured outside today you know it is mild and very wet. If you have ever been to Hawaii you know it is very humid.  We obviously do not have Hawaii’s weather but there is a connection. That connection is often called the "Pineapple Express."

KING WEATHER

The pineapple express taps into tropical moisture near Hawaii and brings that warm moist air to the northwest.

At one time the air we have with us now was near Hawaii and it was much warmer.  During the long trek to the Northwest this air mass was modified by the cool waters of the Pacific Ocean. It became a bit cooler, although it is still much milder than what we are use to this time of year. Normally at this point in November the low is around 42 with afternoon highs running in the lower 50s. Today at 6 a.m. it was 60 at Sea-Tac - and keep in mind it was still dark.

KING WEATHER

The pineapple express brings very high snow levels. Snow levels will drop back to more normal levels for this time of year by Tuesday after this current system moves through. Colder air will move in from the north later in the week bringing snow levels down below our major mountain passes.

The mild air extends well up into the higher levels of the atmosphere keeping the snow level very high.  This means that all this moisture will be in the form of rain in the mountains.  Any left-over snow on the ground from last weekend’s winter blast will now make its way into our rivers and streams.

This latest round of rain began during the middle part of the day on Sunday and is expected to continue through the day and into the night. We may see an occasional lull in the rain but we will also have plenty of heavy rain at times, too. 

Normally during the entire month of November at Sea-Tac we see an average of 5.90 inches rain, making it the wettest month of the year.  This year we hit our monthly fill by mid morning Monday and the rain was still falling.

KING WEATHER

The beginning of the storm. KING 5 First Alert Live Doppler shows the light rain from Sunday afternoon. The rain has been virtually non stop since the onset. The pineapple express not only brings a lot of rain but lasts for several hours, a combination that often leads to widespread flooding in the northwest.

This taste of Hawaii we are getting today comes without the beautiful island sunsets and with the price of widespread flooding.