October snowfalls in the PNW lowlands

[wx_statman]

Here is a look at some outstanding October snowfall events in the PNW lowlands. Selected totals, not exhaustive. All data courtesy of the NCDC.

 

October 26, 1919

 

5.0" in Hood River, OR

1.0" in Kalama, WA

0.5" in Centralia, WA

 

October 28-31, 1935

 

12.0" in Palmer, WA

10.0" in Willamina, OR

5.0" in Salem, OR

5.0" in Corvallis, OR

4.5" in Duvall, WA

4.4" in Buckley, WA

4.0" in Yreka, CA

3.1" in Hood River, OR

2.5" in Estacada, OR

1.0" in Eugene, OR

0.6" in Portland (Downtown), OR

0.6" in Roseburg, OR

 

October 27, 1971

 

3.5" in Palmer, WA

2.0" in Seattle (SEA), WA

2.0" in Puyallup, WA

2.0" in Buckley, WA

0.5" in Elwha Ranger Station, WA

 

October 31, 1984

 

0.8" in Seattle (Jackson Park), WA

0.3" in Puyallup, WA

 

October 28-29, 1991

 

3.0" in Olga, WA

2.5" in Bellingham (3 SSW), WA

2.0" in Bellingham (BLI), WA

2.0" in Sedro Woolley, WA

2.0" in Hood River, OR

1.5" in Blaine, WA

[snow_wizard]

I was lucky enough to be in the one of the better areas for the 1984 event.  Snow on the ground with icy roads on Halloween!

[wx_statman]

I was lucky enough to be in the one of the better areas for the 1984 event.  Snow on the ground with icy roads on Halloween!

 

Poor trick or treaters. That's the one night of the year when a kid wouldn't want snow, because you want to get around!

[BLI snowman]

1935 seemed like at least a one in 200 year event, judging from how much more significant it was than anything else in recorded PNW history.

[richard mann]

.
 My kind of Analogs. 
 
— potential correlation, one year to others. 
 
.. Simple records, much more local than whatever upper lever whether temp or pressure height comparison. .Much more interesting.

[snow_wizard]

1935 seemed like at least a one in 200 year event, judging from how much more significant it was than anything else in recorded PNW history.

 

I would love to live through late 1935 through early 1937.  Some serious cold snaps in that time frame!

[SilverFallsAndrew]

1935 seemed like at least a one in 200 year event, judging from how much more significant it was than anything else in recorded PNW history.

Yeah recorded snow fall to Roseburg

[wx_statman]

1935 seemed like at least a one in 200 year event, judging from how much more significant it was than anything else in recorded PNW history.

 

Its easily the biggest outlier that we have on the books in regards to Arctic airmasses. Even more so than November 1955 in my opinion.

[snow_wizard]

Its easily the biggest outlier that we have on the books in regards to Arctic airmasses. Even more so than November 1955 in my opinion.

 

I would say even with 1955.  That was very extraordinary also. 

[TT-SEA]

s

[wx_statman]

I would say even with 1955.  That was very extraordinary also. 

 

The reason I say 1935 is more of an outlier is because it occurred two weeks earlier than anything else like it in the era of official records. To me that speaks to a lower recurrence rate than even 1955, which had a similar event (1985) occur only a week later in the calendar.

[BLI snowman]

I would love to live through late 1935 through early 1937.  Some serious cold snaps in that time frame!

 

The 1930s as a whole were really extreme. You had the epic longevity of January 1930, the cold in December 1932, the all time OR low in February 1933, the massive rain in December 1933, the blowtorch of 1934, the cold/pineapple express combo in January 1935, October 1935, the crazy cold events from February to April 1936, and the cold in January 1937. 

[wx_statman]

The 1930s as a whole were really extreme. You had the epic longevity of January 1930, the cold in December 1932, the all time OR low in February 1933, the massive rain in December 1933, the blowtorch of 1934, the cold/pineapple express combo in January 1935, October 1935, the crazy cold events from February to April 1936, and the cold in January 1937. 

 

The swings were especially extreme during the 1930's, and that trend really began in the 1920's.

 

I would say 1924 to 1944 is the most extreme 20 year period we have ever seen, if you look at the peaks and valleys of our temperature extremes during that era.

[SilverFallsAndrew]

The swings were especially extreme during the 1930's, and that trend really began in the 1920's.

 

I would say 1924 to 1944 is the most extreme 20 year period we have ever seen, if you look at the peaks and valleys of our temperature extremes during that era.

 

What was the least extreme period on record for us? 1991-2007?

[BLI snowman]

The swings were especially extreme during the 1930's, and that trend really began in the 1920's.

 

I would say 1924 to 1944 is the most extreme 20 year period we have ever seen, if you look at the peaks and valleys of our temperature extremes during that era.

 

Nationally, that's probably true as well.

 

What a lot of climate change alarmists need to realize is that weather extremes are always ongoing and are nothing new. It's hard to quantify how "extreme" an era is, but it's clear that there have been many big time events of all types through history that we haven't come close to matching recently. 

[SilverFallsAndrew]

Statman...I know you like me are slightly enamored with October 2002. Where would you rank that one on the hierarchy of October cold snaps?

[BLI snowman]

What was the least extreme period on record for us? 1991-2007?

 

1999-2001 in particular was remarkably dull. I pretty much stopped caring about the weather for awhile.

[wx_statman]

What was the least extreme period on record for us? 1991-2007?

 

Not a bad choice. I'd say 1999-2005 is the lamest stretch of weather we have ever seen, if you want to drill down to shorter time periods.

[snow_wizard]

Not a bad choice. I'd say 1999-2005 is the lamest stretch of weather we have ever seen, if you want to drill down to shorter time periods.

 

Agreed.  I almost lost my sanity during that period.

[snow_wizard]

Statman...I know you like me are slightly enamored with October 2002. Where would you rank that one on the hierarchy of October cold snaps?

 

Form my perspective it wasn't that impressive in WA at least.  Events like 1949, 1971, 1984, and 1991 were much more impressive in this area.  2002 was extraordinary from a low dp point of view.

[wx_statman]

Statman...I know you like me are slightly enamored with October 2002. Where would you rank that one on the hierarchy of October cold snaps?

 

I do have a thing for October 2002, I'll admit that. LOL

 

Its a muddy picture though. That event was broadly similar to early November 1936, the difference being that October 2002 snuck in just before 11/1 while 1936 occurred just after. So 2002 gets all the monthly records in that situation. Neither event can compare to 1935. The minimums seen in both 1971 and 1991 don't quite match up to either 2002 or 1936, although 1991 was the more impressive event for low maximums and snowfall in the western lowlands. Then there's 2003, which also beat 2002 for both low maximums and snowfall in the lowlands...but peaked after 11/1 so can't be considered a true October event.

 

All of that aside, if you are to strictly look at minimums then 2002 has to be considered a top-3 event all time for so early in the season. Behind 1935 and in a toss-up situation with 1936.

[wx_statman]

Form my perspective it wasn't that impressive in WA at least.  Events like 1949, 1971, 1984, and 1991 were much more impressive in this area.  2002 was extraordinary from a low dp point of view.

 

The PDX obs speak to the anomalous nature of the 2002 event.

 

http://www.wunderground.com/history/airport/KPDX/2002/10/30/DailyHistory.html?req_city=NA&req_state=NA&req_statename=NA

 

E 40g48 and dewpoint of 3F...in October.

[snow_wizard]

The PDX obs speak to the anomalous nature of the 2002 event.

 

http://www.wunderground.com/history/airport/KPDX/2002/10/30/DailyHistory.html?req_city=NA&req_state=NA&req_statename=NA

 

E 40g48 and dewpoint of 3F...in October.

 

I think the fact it wasn't a Fraser River event is why it doesn't seem that great to me.  This area gets quite a bit colder with Fraser River events because cold snaps from the east are so windy here.  Admittedly 2002 got pretty cold in early Nov after it was able to decouple.  I'm just saying that in this area 2002 didn't do it for me.

[snow_wizard]

I do have a thing for October 2002, I'll admit that. LOL

 

Its a muddy picture though. That event was broadly similar to early November 1936, the difference being that October 2002 snuck in just before 11/1 while 1936 occurred just after. So 2002 gets all the monthly records in that situation. Neither event can compare to 1935. The minimums seen in both 1971 and 1991 don't quite match up to either 2002 or 1936, although 1991 was the more impressive event for low maximums and snowfall in the western lowlands. Then there's 2003, which also beat 2002 for both low maximums and snowfall in the lowlands...but peaked after 11/1 so can't be considered a true October event.

 

All of that aside, if you are to strictly look at minimums then 2002 has to be considered a top-3 event all time for so early in the season. Behind 1935 and in a toss-up situation with 1936.

 

That's right.  Yet another big cold snap in 1936 that I had forgotten about!

[wx_statman]

That's right.  Yet another big cold snap in 1936 that I had forgotten about!

 

That was another short transition from heat to cold, similar to 1991 and 2003. October had been a torch. Salem hit 91 on 10/9 and didn't see a maximum below 59 the entire month. Then they dropped to 13 on 11/2.

[BLI snowman]

That was another short transition from heat to cold, similar to 1991 and 2003. October had been a torch. Salem hit 91 on 10/9 and didn't see a maximum below 59 the entire month. Then they dropped to 13 on 11/2.

 

No way I would've expected a great winter in 1936-37, giving the ridgy and extremely dry October/November. I would've figured a zonal flow nightmare, a la 1952-53 or a so-so winter like 1987-88. Just goes to show we don't always follow the same pattern.

[wx_statman]

No way I would've expected a great winter in 1936-37, giving the ridgy and extremely dry October/November. I would've figured a zonal flow nightmare, a la 1952-53 or a so-so winter like 1987-88. Just goes to show we don't always follow the same pattern.

 

That's a good point. The October-November period in 1936 looked a lot like 1952 or 2002, but the outcome in January couldn't have been more different.

[snow_wizard]

No way I would've expected a great winter in 1936-37, giving the ridgy and extremely dry October/November. I would've figured a zonal flow nightmare, a la 1952-53 or a so-so winter like 1987-88. Just goes to show we don't always follow the same pattern.

 

Just an absolutely amazing season.  There were 21 days with freezing low temps in this area in November and over 100 for the season.  Then of course many very cold days with snow on the ground for a long period of time.  The 1930s were good to us overall.

[wx_statman]

Salem after a record 25" fell on February 1, 1937:

 

http://photos.salemhistory.net/cdm/ref/collection/specialcol/id/2041

 

I like the caption too. Interesting stuff.

 

This photo of the Miller's Department store on the SW corner of Liberty & Court streets in Salem, Oregon, was taken after the record snowfall of February 1, 1937. Twenty five inches fell in 24 hours, resulting in the chains holding up marquees breaking from the load all over town. Prisoners were let out to shovel snow. Other heavy snowfalls were in 1852, 1862, 1885, 1919 (22 inches) and 1942-43 (23.6"). In 1862 twelve inches stayed on the ground for 42 days and the Willamette and Columbia rivers were frozen solid. In 1885 a passenger train stalled at Jefferson, Oregon, and a fourth engine had to be added to get it through the five-foot drifts to Salem.

[snow_wizard]

Salem after a record 25" fell on February 1, 1937:

 

http://photos.salemhistory.net/cdm/ref/collection/specialcol/id/2041

 

I like the caption too. Interesting stuff.

 

This photo of the Miller's Department store on the SW corner of Liberty & Court streets in Salem, Oregon, was taken after the record snowfall of February 1, 1937. Twenty five inches fell in 24 hours, resulting in the chains holding up marquees breaking from the load all over town. Prisoners were let out to shovel snow. Other heavy snowfalls were in 1852, 1862, 1885, 1919 (22 inches) and 1942-43 (23.6"). In 1862 twelve inches stayed on the ground for 42 days and the Willamette and Columbia rivers were frozen solid. In 1885 a passenger train stalled at Jefferson, Oregon, and a fourth engine had to be added to get it through the five-foot drifts to Salem.

 

Wow!  That Feb 1, 1937 snowstorm was very widespread.  Feb 1937 was a pretty impressive month over the northern half WA, nicely complementing the awesome January.

[HighlandExperience]

Just an absolutely amazing season.  There were 21 days with freezing low temps in this area in November and over 100 for the season.  Then of course many very cold days with snow on the ground for a long period of time.  The 1930s were good to us overall.

 

I really hope we can see something this extreme in the near term future. I have to agree with the above posters. 1999-2005 had to be the lamest period in our more recent weather history. I pretty much gave up on the idea of winter being a real season around here at that point. Especially after the lame ski season of 2004-2005.

[BLI snowman]

Wow!  That Feb 1, 1937 snowstorm was very widespread.  Feb 1937 was a pretty impressive month over the northern half WA, nicely complementing the awesome January.

 

I think that winter was even better than 1949-50 for parts of Whatcom County. It stayed consistently cold/snowy from late December to late February.

[snow_wizard]

I think that winter was even better than 1949-50 for parts of Whatcom County. It stayed consistently cold/snowy from late December to late February.

For sure. The Clearbrook records for Jan - Feb 1937 represent what I would consider the absolute perfect winter.