Remarks
It Took More Than a ‘Heat Dome’ to Turn Portland Into an Oven
Meteorologist Clifford Mass has the best explanation of the heat wave—and the rapid cool-off that followed.
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As a physics major at Cornell in the 1970s, Clifford Mass helped famed astronomer Carl Sagan develop an atmospheric model for Mars. In the decades since, armed with a doctorate in atmospheric science from the University of Washington, he has become the go-to meteorologist when the weather goes nuts in the usually mild Pacific Northwest.
So it’s no surprise that Mass produced the most thorough explanation for the stunning heat wave that hit the region over the past few days. The “heat dome” that everyone keeps talking about is part of the story, but only part, as Mass explained in a series of podcasts and blogs.