Down in San Francisco They're Panicking, While in Seattle People Are... Not: "A strong storm is now bearing down on the Northwest, which I will describe in a second," writes Cliff Mass. "San Francisco will NOT be hit by this strong low center but will get a bit of a trailing front. These poor golden-state folks will experience a few inches of rain [today] and some gusty winds, reaching perhaps 40-50 mph in the city. And they are in panic mode, closing down the city's schools, shuttering churches and synagogues. Canceling meetings and gatherings of all types. In contrast, we have had winds gusting to 70 mph on the coast and 40-60 mph around Western Washington today... Our rivers are flooding and heavy rain is striking our region. We take it in stride. No problem. I don't like to call anyone a weather wimp, but..."

State of Emergency: However, Governor Jay Inslee has declared a state of emergency because of the storms that have already come through—and the need for road repairs they've created. Meanwhile, reports the Seattle Times, "Utility crews are bracing for the third, and potentially the most severe, storm of the week Thursday, churning its way from the Pacific Ocean to the northwest coast."

Coastal Cyclone? "But what you are really interested in is the major coastal cyclone that has been advertised for Thursday," Cliff Mass continues. And he's correct! "This is a really interesting event for me. Rarely do you see the major forecast models in such disagreement this close it to an event."

Mud on the Tracks: "According to initial reports, slide debris hit a Sounder train around 6:30 p.m. Wednesday," says the Seattle Times, which described the slide location as "south of Everett." No one appears to have been injured, and the tracks were expected to reopen.

Yesterday's Temperature Was Record-Breaking: Sure, there was a lot of rain yesterday, but the day also brought "the warmest temperature ever observed at Sea-Tac for the month of December."

Mega Methane: "As the waters of the Pacific warm, methane that was trapped in crystalline form beneath the seabed is being released," reports KUOW. "And fast. New modeling suggests that 4 million tons of this potent greenhouse gas have escaped since 1970 from the ocean depths off Washington's coast. 'We calculate that methane equivalent in volume to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill is released every year off the Washington coast,' said Evan Solomon, a University of Washington assistant professor of oceanography."

The Killer of Tuba Man Has Killed Again: "A Seattle man previously convicted in the death of 'Tuba Man' Edward McMichael has admitted to another killing," reports SeattlePI.com.

Making the Case That There's No Gentrification in Seattle: A think tank based in Portland.

Seattle Has a New School Board Superintendent: "At a special meeting [Wednesday night], the Seattle School Board voted 5-2 to make interim Superintendent Dr. Larry Nyland permanent," reports West Seattle Blog.

American Torture, Made in Spokane: "From their office in Spokane, two psychologists who once worked with an Air Force survival school there launched an extraordinary covert business that, after the 2001 terror attacks, offered one-stop shopping for a CIA wanting to use harsh interrogation tactics," reports the Seattle Times.