[SilverFallsAndrew]

Looking back on the twin cold snaps of the past winter it is really beginning to sink in just how impressive they are. A lot of the outlying stations are now updated for those months on the Utah State Climate site and the totality of these events is really evident. Here are some of the numbers from some outlying Willamette Valley stations, and I will probably throw the airport stats in to for good measure. As you can see there weren't a ton of records for a lot of these stations because for most of them their all-time minimum records were set during the December 1972 cold snap.

 

* Denotes daily record minimum.

 

Falls City (El 670')

 

December:

Dec 4: 37/22

Dec 5: 34/17

Dec 6: 29/16 2.5" sn

Dec 7: 24/16  1"  sn

Dec 8: 25/9

Dec 9: 25/ NA

Dec 10: 29/13

Dec 11: 33/23

 

February:

Feb 5: 33/22

Feb 6: 30/18

Feb 7: 21/13   4" 

Feb 8: 27/14   8"

Feb 9: 30/24

Feb 10: 34/28

 

Dallas (El 290')

December:

Dec 5: 35/16

Dec 6: 29/22

Dec 7: 27/18

Dec 8: 27/6

Dec 9: 25/9

Dec 10: 31/24

Dec 11: 30/17

Dec 12: 29/19

 

February:

Feb 4: 35/22

Feb 5: 31/20

Feb 6: 23/19

Feb 7: 24/19

Feb 8: 31/24

Feb 9: 35/30

 

Lebanon (EL 330')

December

Dec 4: 37/19

Dec 5: 30/16

Dec 6: 27/23  4" sn

Dec 7: 28/9

Dec 8: 24/4

Dec 9: 28/8

Dec 10: 32/19

Dec 11: 31/16

 

February:

Feb 5: 38/23

Feb 6: 24/19  8.5" sn

Feb 7: 28/21  7.75" sn

Feb 8: 31/28   0.5: sn

Feb 9: 38/31

 

Silverton

December

Dec 5: 36/18

Dec 6: 28/18*

Dec 7: 29/17

Dec 8: 28/10

Dec 9: 26/11

Dec 10: 27/13

Dec 11: 32/23

Dec 12: 31*/18

 

February:

Feb 5: 33/21

Feb 6: 33*/20

Feb 7: 25*/18

Feb 8: 25*/19

Feb 9: 31*/25

 

Stayton

December:

Dec 5: 35/17

Dec 6: 30/15*

Dec 7: 28/11

Dec 8: 26/3

Dec 9: 23/5

Dec 10: 27/7

Dec 11: 30/15

Dec 12: 27*/15

 

February

Feb 5: 34/23

Feb 6: 34*/20

Feb 7: 23*/18

Feb 8: 27*/15

Feb 9: 32*/26

[TheBigOne]

Looking at all the cities listed why is Silverton the warmest with only 10F (which actually matched my cheapo  weather station)   Even Stayton got deep in the single digits two nights. 

 

Is it impossible for Salem/Silverton to get deep in the single digits threatening the zero anymore?

[SilverFallsAndrew]

Looking at all the cities listed why is Silverton the warmest with only 10F (which actually matched my cheapo  weather station)   Even Stayton got deep in the single digits two nights. 

 

Is it impossible for Salem/Silverton to get deep in the single digits threatening the zero anymore?

 

Two reasons.

 

1) Stayton had several inches of snow with the December event, Silverton did not. Hence temps were able to fall further with radiational cooling at Stayton.

 

2) Silverton's observations are taken on a hill. The location at the waste water treatment plant up at the top of "danger hill" does not decouple as well as most of the town. The Silverton Mesonet station hit 7 in December as did my Dad's house in the country out on the valley floor between Silverton and Mt. Angel. 

[snow_wizard]

To me the winter was very hollow.  We had some impressive cold here, but overall I don't get the warm and fuzzy feeling I get when looking back on many other winters.  I guess it's just the overall context and the lack of snow for me.  I'm pretty much just relieved it's over.

[BLI snowman]

To me the winter was very hollow.  We had some impressive cold here, but overall I don't get the warm and fuzzy feeling I get when looking back on many other winters.  I guess it's just the overall context and the lack of snow for me.  I'm pretty much just relieved it's over.

 

Jealous of Oregon.

[snow_wizard]

Jealous of Oregon.

 

 

That is certainly part of it.  I think the winter emphasized the point of how hard it is to get a region wide great winter these days.  I'm simply tired of waiting.