4/10 Pineapple weed, Dungeness water rule, snowpack, black hole, WA gas prices

Pineapple weed

Pineapple weed Matricaria discoidea
Pineapple weed has a definite pineapple scent when crushed, and it has been used as a fragrant stuffing for sachets and pillows by some aboriginal people in recent times. Matricaria means 'mother-care' from its former use in the treatment of uterine infections. The flower heads are disk-shaped-- hence discoidea. (Plants of the Pacific Northwest Coast)

Court rejects appeal of Dungeness Water Rule
The state Court of Appeals has reaffirmed much-debated six-year-old Clallam County regulations known as the Dungeness Water Rule that control water use in the Dungeness River watershed. Chief Judge Bradley A. Maxa and Judges Lisa R. Worswick and Rich Melnick on April 2 upheld a Thurston County Superior Court decision, handing a victory to the state Department of Ecology, which approved the restrictions. They rejected an appeal of the 2016 ruling on what is known as the Dungeness Rule that governs water use in 215-square-mile Dungeness River watershed, or basin. The basin includes the 32-mile Dungeness River and its tributaries. Paul Gottlieb reports. (Peninsula Daily News)

Less snowpack may impact region this summer
Despite snowstorms in Skagit County in early February and a flurry in March, there’s less snowpack than normal in the North Cascades. That means summer streamflows could reach lows last seen during the snowpack drought of 2015, said water supply specialist Scott Pattee with the Washington Snow Survey Office. According to the Washington Water Supply Outlook Report released April 1, of which Pattee is a major contributor, snowpack in the Skagit River watershed is at 71% of normal. Kimberly Cauvel reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

Watch: Earth Gets Its First Look At A Black Hole
The world is seeing the first-ever image of a black hole Wednesday, as an international team of researchers from the Event Horizon Telescope project released their look at the massive black hole at the center of galaxy Messier 87 (M87). The image shows a dark disc "outlined by emission from hot gas swirling around it under the influence of strong gravity near its event horizon," the consortium said. Bill Chappell reports. (NPR)

Why Washington gas prices are expected to peak in April, May
The cheapest day, on average, to fill up on gas across the State of Washington is Monday. And the priciest day for gas is Friday. Of course, Seattle has to do things its own way — Sunday is the cheapest day for gas in Seattle, while Thursday is the most expensive. That’s just a couple takeaways from a recent study by GasBuddy, a gas price watch dog. What holds true for most places, according to the study, is that filling up earlier in the week is generally cheaper. That’s good information to have as gas prices are expected to peak in the coming weeks, adding 10-20 cents more per gallon, according to GasBuddy’s head of petroleum analysis Patrick DeHaan. It brings the potential for $4-per-gallon gas closer than it has been for quite a while in Western Washington. (MyNorthwest)


Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  233 AM PDT Wed Apr 10 2019   
TODAY  W wind 5 to 15 kt. Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell 6 ft  at 11 seconds. Showers. 
TONIGHT  W wind 5 to 15 kt becoming to 10 kt after midnight.  Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell 6 ft at 11 seconds. Showers  likely.



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