The Blob warm water mass in Pacific described as only a Portland OR weatherman could- KGW video w transcript, Heating Planet blog

-named because oceanographers and meteorologists noticed this blob of really warm water out over the ocean, and it just sort of stuck, So sum it up this way, The blob may enhance La Nina because there's more warm water out there to feed the jet stream. On the other hand, La Nina could just destroy the blob with a lot of storms. High pressure, that's a blob maintainer. WATCH: La Niña and 'The Blob' could boost Oregon winter storms KGW News Portland Oct 15 report, transcript follows-  was named because oceanographers and meteorologists noticed this 3:27 blob of really warm water out over the ocean 3:31 and it just sort of stuck. 3:33 Yeah, 3:33 I do you know about the La Nina name? 3:35 You know why it's called La Nina? 3:37 It's because the fishermen, 3:39 this is like a couple 100 years ago off of Peru and Ecuador, 3:42 noticed that. 3:43 Around Christmas time, 3:45 the water became warmer than normal. 3:46 That's the El Nino, 3:48 OK, 3:48 which is the opposite of La Nina. 3:50 And when it got colder than normal, 3:51 they said, 3:52 Well, 3:52 let's call, 3:52 and they needed El Nino because in Spanish that's, 3:55 you know, 3:56 the boy or the Christ child. 3:58 So 3:58 they named the cool one La Nina, 4:00 the counterpart of El Nino. 4:01 So that's how that got its name. 4:03 

[Transcripts are here st Heating Planet for readers writers and researchers. Plus, video can disappear. The printed word is forever.]

So back to the blob destroyers, 4:05 right? 4:05 What you need for that are storms to stir up the ocean and this. 4:08 from now through the next 10 days where you see the tight circles, 4:11 concentric circles, 4:12 that's where you have storms where you don't see that, 4:15 where they're wide apart, 4:15 that's high pressure. 4:16 

That's a blob maintainer like that. 4:19 These are blob destroyers coming along these storms, 4:22 and we see them ringing in the Pacific Ocean, 4:24 but never really cutting through the heart of the blob, 4:26 which is not unusual because we usually do have 4:28 high pressure over that part of the Pacific Ocean. 4:30 But as we go deeper into winter, 4:32 we would expect more storms and there. 4:33 One right there to help to churn the ocean. 4:36 

So I think the blob is more likely to get 4:39 beaten back, 4:40 if you will, 4:40 than La Nina. 4:41 So let's sum it up this way. 4:42 First of all, 4:43 typical La Nina weather pattern over the Pacific and North America, 4:47 strong polar jet, 4:48 strong, 4:49 uh, 4:49 Pacific jet, 4:50 they come together right over us. 4:52 So we usually get wet and stormy winters with a lot of variety in the Northwest, 4:56 usually great for mountain snow. 4:58 That's happening. 4:59 

So sum it up this way, 5:00 blob and La Nina. 5:01 The blob may enhance La Nina because there's more 5:04 warm water out there to feed the jet stream. 5:07 On the other hand, 5:07 La Nina could just destroy the blob with a lot of storms. 5:11 Either way, 5:11 and I favor La Nina over the blob. 5:13 I think it's got more staying power. 5:15 We're likely going to have a cool and wet winter with plenty of mountain snow. 5:19 So there you go, 5:20 food for thought. 5:21 OK, 5:21 Matt, 5:21 thanks so much. 5:22 You bet. 5:22 We're back right after this. 

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KGW is the NBC TV affiliate in Portland, Oregon.

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