You’ve probably heard that tonight’s moon is not only the full moon, but is also the “supermoon,” brighter because the moon is closer to the earth. Space.com says the next two full moons also will qualify. Above, the dusk-ish view from Brian Fenske; below, the moonrise earlier, from Kayla Fenske.

If you’re going to be up early, look for the moonset just before 6 am, per the WSB Weather page.

It’s been warm for days – and it’s about to get a lot warmer. The National Weather Service has issued an “excessive heat watch” alert (see it here) for the weekend, Saturday morning through Sunday night. Highs are expected in the 90s – and even after the weekend, no significant cooldown is likely before at least midweek.

Quick break for pretty views of tonight’s sunset – on the eve of what’s forecast as clouds and showers. Above, from Don Brubeck; below, from Myrtle.

Thanks for sharing!

Sundog over West Seattle? Thanks to David Hutchinson (above) and Don Brubeck (below), frequent and much-appreciated WSB community contributors, for sharing the photos of what we think was a sunset sundog – one of the phenomena discussed in Alice Enevoldsen‘s “Skies Over West Seattle” a year ago.

Unusual cloud formations, too – any help identifying them would be welcome!

Thanks to Craig Young for the sunset view looking across Alki Statue of Liberty Plaza! It was the fifth-to-last sunset of Spring 2014, with summer due to arrive at 3:51 am our time Saturday (June 21st).

P.S. Yes, Alice Enevoldsen WILL as usual preside over a Solstice Park viewing event for the first post-solstice sunset – she advises arriving by 8:45 pm Saturday.

Thank you to everyone who shared photos from this evening’s spectacle to the west – above, from Owen Reese; below, from Leslie Dierauf:

Views via Twitter, too:

@westseattleblog wow, shot of alki from pioneer square…! pic.twitter.com/d0Y9D6KtwD

— Darren (@heydtrain) May 28, 2014

Seriously, looks like Bob Ross has been painting #WestSeattle from heaven. Home sweet, home. @westseattleblog pic.twitter.com/lRURi7mco1

— Zithri Ahmed Saleem (@ZithriSaleem) May 28, 2014

Tomorrow’s forecast looks a little unsettled, too.

(Click image to see larger view)
Thanks to JayDee for the rain-sun-mix view from Upper Alki – after a day full of sunshine that wasn’t anywhere in the official forecast, but was good news for this morning’s West Seattle 5K (WSB coverage here) and the ensuing Summer Streets on Alki (coverage here and here). Next reason for forecast-fretting: Memorial Day weekend approaches. Right now, the National Weather Service forecast looks a lot like this weekend was supposed to look – cloudy, showery – so here’s hoping that too turns out to be not the case.

(WSB photos – this one, by Tracy Record; next two, by Patrick Sand)
Four hours after the thermometer hit 80, sunset color and clouds filled the sky over the Olympics, seen from Duwamish Head. Might have another photo or two to add shortly.

ADDED: Ferry on the Bremerton run:

And a crow hanging out at Don Armeni:

Should be another beautiful, warm evening on Thursday!

Thanks to everyone who’s shared views of the double rainbow that appeared before sunset! We’re building a gallery and adding more. For starters – this one’s from Max.

In some cases, the view wasn’t double so much as just, big. This view looking toward Fairmount is from Maris:

Next – from Debbie Bukoski:

From Eric Renn:

And Melissa sent her perspective via video, panning across the double rainbow from the shore of the bay:

Might add a few more – meantime, thanks to EVERYONE who shared!

Seldom will you hear us say “get away from the keyboard! now!” but this is one such time. If you have any view of the western sky, go see this beautiful moon for yourself. In case you can’t – or even if you can – Jason Gift Enevoldsen has shared a photo.

(P.S. You can always check the moon phases, moonset/moonrise/sunset/sunrise times, tides, and more, on the WSB West Seattle Weather page.)

Must have been some rainbow! Thanks to everybody who has shared photos. We start with three – above, from Babs, who says her friendly neighborhood crow Buddy didn’t mind posing. Next, from Buzz Shaw:

From 15-year-old Samantha:

And via the WSB Facebook page, from Debbie:

Now … back to the rain. And wind.

ADDED 9:24 PM: Thanks for sharing more rainbow photos! From David Hutchinson:

A few more to come.

The seasons have officially changed – West Seattle’s NASA Solar System Ambassador Alice Enevoldsen has carried off yet another successful sunset watch, something she’s been doing for 20 equinoxes and solstices – that’s 5 years of season changes. At Solstice Park, she showed young attendees how to practice telescope/microscope techniques on tissue tubes. And when it was time to demonstrate what the equinox means to our planet, she had an even younger helper:

That’s Alice’s almost-3-year-old daughter Vera, who made a few orbits of the globe that Alice uses as a prop. The sunset, meantime, cooperated, and put on its own show:

Those, Alice explained, are crepuscular rays. The ~20 people who showed up tonight just got lucky with the sunset show.

In addition to her own website Alice’s Astro Info – where the summer-solstice sunset-viewing event is already scheduled for June 21st! – Alice is also our Skies Over West Seattle correspondent, with periodic updates on what to watch for, from comets to eclipses and more.

Yes, we know, that’s a SUNRISE (photo courtesy of Karen, this past Thursday) and Alice Enevoldsen‘s events are SUNSET gatherings. But we didn’t want the attention-getting beauty to go to waste. Get ready to celebrate spring, which arrives a few hours after sunrise on Thursday (March 20th) – just before 10 am. Then you’ll want to come to Solstice Park east of Lincoln Park for sunset, which is a few minutes past 7, but you’re advised to arrive around 6:45. Alice has just published the official invitation on her Alice’s Astro Info website; it’s an all-ages event, fun and educational. (Alice will also be happy to talk with you about the new discoveries out in space.)

Two photos from Perry, who explains: “It was sunny out (Thursday), so we decided to have a little fun with some mirrors and the side of the OutWest bar.” That’s Perry’s friend and her ferret, above, and here’s Perry:

Perry adds, “A few strangers stopped by and helped, too. It was really fun!”

Since the first sunset of Daylight Saving Time 2014 last night was out of sight behind thick clouds, tonight was the first REAL sunset since we set the clocks ahead for the spring and summer. And we have two beautiful views – from James Bratsanos, above, and Will Pro, below:

P.S. Check the sunset time – or sunrise, or moonrise, or moonset, or high/low tides, among other things – any time, via the WSB West Seattle Weather page.

(Photo courtesy Jaydee)
Though some clouds were around at sunset, as our Skies Over West Seattle correspondent Alice Enevoldsen tweeted a little while ago, it’s a great night for stargazing. And for walking, which Laddie and Polly did, from Alki to Anchor Park:

(Photo courtesy Christine)
Earlier – even for wading:

(Photo by John Hinkey)
Thanks to everyone who shared photos! P.S. Remember Daylight Saving Time arrives tomorrow night – 2 am Sunday; spring is less than two weeks away – March 20th.

Last one didn’t pan out – the one before that did – so hey, who knows what’ll happen this time! The National Weather Service has another Special Weather Statement in effect; see the entire alert here. The scenario is similar to last weekend, when the North Sound got a big blast of snow (and we didn’t), but there’s also a chance the cold air and moisture could push this far south. Stay tuned.

SIDE NOTE: Only one more week until we “spring forward” into Daylight Saving Time – Saturday night/Sunday morning, March 8-9.

(Click image for larger view – close enough to see the snow-covered trees!)
Down to the final four weeks of winter, and the Olympic Mountains finally have a truly wintry amount of snow! Thanks to Chris Frankovich for capturing this morning’s fully frosted view!

Before we get on with the rest of the night’s news – quite a sight at sunset. Thanks to Wayne McFarland for the photo above from Fauntleroy, and JayDee for the photo below from Upper Alki, both showing the storm clouds that rose over the Olympic and Kitsap Peninsulas, as well as further south, before and at sunset.

The forecast suggests it’ll be breezy and rainy off and on at least through Thursday night.

Thanks to Tanya in North Delridge for the photo of a storm-related close call – a tree limb as big as an entire tree, at least 50 feet long, came off a neighbor’s tree in the Saturday wind and rain, landing in her yard and theirs. She says it “landed perfectly to miss our house and our beloved maple trees.” They’re putting together a neighborhood work party in hopes of clearing it away this afternoon. This might not be the last weather-related tree trouble in the area, since the National Weather Service has a new Wind Advisory in effect (see it here) until midnight tonight, warning of strong winds out of the south, with gusts up to 55 mph.

ADDED LATE SUNDAY NIGHT: The wind advisory expired at midnight as scheduled. And we have an update from Tanya:

Wow. With the help of 6 neighbors, we had the whole cedar limb cleared in 1.5 hours. We filled 7 yard waste bins, gave a neighbor a ton of firewood, and had fun doing it. It was an amazing effort! Without our neighbors, we faced a daunting task. But with their help, we remained light-hearted about the whole incident, and were left feeling deeply supported.

Thanks for sharing rainbow photos! Above, Mark Dale‘s view of a state ferry (rather than the rumored pot of gold) at the “end of the rainbow”; next, Joe Szilagyi photographed almost the entirety of the rainbow’s arc, seen from Alki:

And Greg caught it between Fauntleroy and Vashon, with two state ferries in view:

Next up for the weather – a new Wind Advisory from the National Weather Service is in effect through midnight (more on that shortly.)

ADDED 4:46 PM: Thanks to Creighton (welcome back!) for sharing a northeast view:

What a day!

1:03 PM: A new Special Weather Statement is up for our area – this time, warning of two rounds of wind on the way, possibly with gusts up to 50 mph. First one is expected tonight; second one, Sunday afternoon. Keep everything charged!

6:29 PM: The alert has been upgraded to a wind advisory through 4 am Sunday. Same basic points – winds could gust up to 50 mph. Sounds like they’re kicking up right now.