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December 2013 cold wave


wx_statman

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I've decided to put together a list of the more impressive minimums observed in Oregon and Northern California on the morning of December 8, 2013:

 

-A reading of -37F was observed at The Poplars, a COOP site in south central Oregon. This is a new record for the month of December (previously -33 in 1990) and came within 1F of the all time record low, -38F from January 22, 1962. This is also the coldest official temperature in Oregon (and the PNW) since -42F at nearby Fremont on December 22, 1990.  

 

-Burns observed their all-time record low (since 1939) of -30F. Previously -28F on 2/4/1985 and 12/22/1990.

 

-Chemult fell to -28F for their coldest temperature since -30F in December 1972.

 

-Redmond observed -27F, just missing their all-time record low of -28F from December 8, 1972.

 

-Alturas, CA fell to -27F which represents the coldest reading in that state since at least December 1990, and possibly February 1989. For Alturas itself, it was the coldest reading since -33F on February 5, 1989.  

 

-Canby, CA fell to -25F, tying their monthly record low from 1990, as well as tying their second coldest reading all-time behind -32F on February 4th and 5th, 1989.

 

-Bend 7NE, a COOP station only in existence since 1991, easily broke its all-time record low by falling to -23F. Previous record was -12F on December 21, 1998 and December 9, 2009.

 

-Klamath Falls observed their coldest temperature in 126 years by falling to -20F. Their only colder reading was -24F on January 15, 1888. This also represents a new monthly record, previously -17F in 1972.

 

-Baker City observed their earliest -20F on record, previously on December 17, 1964.

 

-Pelton Dam, a low elevation warm spot in north central Oregon, observed -11F. This reading is only exceeded by -15F from December 1972 and -12F from January 1962, in a period of record back to 1958.

 

-Eugene fell to -10F for their second coldest temperature on record, only surpassed by -12F on December 8, 1972.

 

-Ashland fell to -3F, narrowly missing their all-time record low of -4F from December 9, 1972.

 

-Elkton, in southwestern Oregon, dropped to 4F. This ties both February 1989 and December 1990 for the second coldest minimum on record, behind 0F in December 1972.

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December 2013 may not have been as sexy from an upper level perspective as some cold snaps of yesteryear, but from an observed weather perspective it was if not top tier in Oregon, pretty D**n near it.

Snowfall                                  Precip

2022-23: 95.0"                      2022-23: 17.39"

2021-22: 52.6"                    2021-22: 91.46" 

2020-21: 12.0"                    2020-21: 71.59"

2019-20: 23.5"                   2019-20: 58.54"

2018-19: 63.5"                   2018-19: 66.33"

2017-18: 30.3"                   2017-18: 59.83"

2016-17: 49.2"                   2016-17: 97.58"

2015-16: 11.75"                 2015-16: 68.67"

2014-15: 3.5"
2013-14: 11.75"                  2013-14: 62.30
2012-13: 16.75"                 2012-13: 78.45  

2011-12: 98.5"                   2011-12: 92.67"

It's always sunny at Winters Hill! 
Fighting the good fight against weather evil.

 

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December 2013 may not have been as sexy from an upper level perspective as some cold snaps of yesteryear, but from an observed weather perspective it was if not top tier in Oregon, pretty D**n near it.

 

I would say it was a top tier cold wave. It had the coverage on both sides of the mountains. That's key for me.

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Certainly a very impressive cold wave.  Many more records would have been set if there had been a heavier and more extensive snow cover.

Death To Warm Anomalies!

 

Winter 2023-24 stats

 

Total Snowfall = 1.0"

Day with 1" or more snow depth = 1

Total Hail = 0.0

Total Ice = 0.2

Coldest Low = 13

Lows 32 or below = 45

Highs 32 or below = 3

Lows 20 or below = 3

Highs 40 or below = 9

 

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Just goes to show how big snowcover is. Easily Oregon's most impressive event since 1990, for WA I would say that several others were more impressive since then (2008, 2004, 1998, 1996). 

 

I can't find an instance of sub zero lows in W. Oregon without snow cover. 

Snowfall                                  Precip

2022-23: 95.0"                      2022-23: 17.39"

2021-22: 52.6"                    2021-22: 91.46" 

2020-21: 12.0"                    2020-21: 71.59"

2019-20: 23.5"                   2019-20: 58.54"

2018-19: 63.5"                   2018-19: 66.33"

2017-18: 30.3"                   2017-18: 59.83"

2016-17: 49.2"                   2016-17: 97.58"

2015-16: 11.75"                 2015-16: 68.67"

2014-15: 3.5"
2013-14: 11.75"                  2013-14: 62.30
2012-13: 16.75"                 2012-13: 78.45  

2011-12: 98.5"                   2011-12: 92.67"

It's always sunny at Winters Hill! 
Fighting the good fight against weather evil.

 

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Just goes to show how big snowcover is. Easily Oregon's most impressive event since 1990, for WA I would say that several others were more impressive since then (2008, 2004, 1998, 1996). 

 

Yeah this was a very Oregon-centric event. For WA I would say even November 2010 was more impressive than December 2013.

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Yeah this was a very Oregon-centric event. For WA I would say even November 2010 was more impressive than December

 

Really interesting. I believe December 1972 favored Oregon more too. 

 

November 2010 and February 2011 favored Washington and Corvallis. December 2013 and February 2014 favored Oregon and Corvallis. 

Snowfall                                  Precip

2022-23: 95.0"                      2022-23: 17.39"

2021-22: 52.6"                    2021-22: 91.46" 

2020-21: 12.0"                    2020-21: 71.59"

2019-20: 23.5"                   2019-20: 58.54"

2018-19: 63.5"                   2018-19: 66.33"

2017-18: 30.3"                   2017-18: 59.83"

2016-17: 49.2"                   2016-17: 97.58"

2015-16: 11.75"                 2015-16: 68.67"

2014-15: 3.5"
2013-14: 11.75"                  2013-14: 62.30
2012-13: 16.75"                 2012-13: 78.45  

2011-12: 98.5"                   2011-12: 92.67"

It's always sunny at Winters Hill! 
Fighting the good fight against weather evil.

 

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I think the lack of action on this topic shows the Washington centric nature of this forum. This was a tremendous blast.

Snowfall                                  Precip

2022-23: 95.0"                      2022-23: 17.39"

2021-22: 52.6"                    2021-22: 91.46" 

2020-21: 12.0"                    2020-21: 71.59"

2019-20: 23.5"                   2019-20: 58.54"

2018-19: 63.5"                   2018-19: 66.33"

2017-18: 30.3"                   2017-18: 59.83"

2016-17: 49.2"                   2016-17: 97.58"

2015-16: 11.75"                 2015-16: 68.67"

2014-15: 3.5"
2013-14: 11.75"                  2013-14: 62.30
2012-13: 16.75"                 2012-13: 78.45  

2011-12: 98.5"                   2011-12: 92.67"

It's always sunny at Winters Hill! 
Fighting the good fight against weather evil.

 

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Really interesting. I believe December 1972 favored Oregon more too. 

 

November 2010 and February 2011 favored Washington and Corvallis. December 2013 and February 2014 favored Oregon and Corvallis. 

 

LOL. To be fair February 2011 did very well in Oregon too. Very uniform, impressive late season cold wave across the PNW.

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LOL. To be fair February 2011 did very well in Oregon too. Very uniform, impressive late season cold wave across the PNW.

 

Point taken. Oregon's coldest temp since 2000 was 2/26/2011, until December 2013.

Snowfall                                  Precip

2022-23: 95.0"                      2022-23: 17.39"

2021-22: 52.6"                    2021-22: 91.46" 

2020-21: 12.0"                    2020-21: 71.59"

2019-20: 23.5"                   2019-20: 58.54"

2018-19: 63.5"                   2018-19: 66.33"

2017-18: 30.3"                   2017-18: 59.83"

2016-17: 49.2"                   2016-17: 97.58"

2015-16: 11.75"                 2015-16: 68.67"

2014-15: 3.5"
2013-14: 11.75"                  2013-14: 62.30
2012-13: 16.75"                 2012-13: 78.45  

2011-12: 98.5"                   2011-12: 92.67"

It's always sunny at Winters Hill! 
Fighting the good fight against weather evil.

 

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I think the lack of action on this topic shows the Washington centric nature of this forum. This was a tremendous blast.

 

 

It is interesting how much greater the anomalies were the further south you went with both cold waves last winter.  That having been said it was still impressively cold here.  Both cold waves froze a 30 gallon garbage can full of water, that I had in my back yard, nearly solid.

 

The lack of snow up here was the thing that chapped my hide a wee bit.

Death To Warm Anomalies!

 

Winter 2023-24 stats

 

Total Snowfall = 1.0"

Day with 1" or more snow depth = 1

Total Hail = 0.0

Total Ice = 0.2

Coldest Low = 13

Lows 32 or below = 45

Highs 32 or below = 3

Lows 20 or below = 3

Highs 40 or below = 9

 

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I think the lack of action on this topic shows the Washington centric nature of this forum. This was a tremendous blast.

It has more to do with the forum's snow centricness than its Washington centricness.

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Everett Snowfall (510 feet elevation)

Snow since February 2019: 91"

2023-24: 6"

2022-23: 17.5"

2021-22: 17.75"

2020-21: 14.5”

2019-20: 10.5"

2018-19: 24.75"

 

 

 

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Absolutely.  It's hard to find too many weather junkies that would trade 25 degrees and snow for 15 degrees and clear skies.  

 

Kind of Andrew's point, though. Western OR had significant snow with that event and even the Portland area mostly had 1-2" with it. It was only bone dry once you got into the Puget Sound area.

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As far as snowfall goes, official totals included 7.0" at EUG, 3.2" at MFR, and even 4.0" at Redding. Around 3" to 6" fell in the Corvallis area and spotter reports ranged into the 8" to 9" range in the south valley.

 

So there was snowcover everywhere from the central Willamette Valley down to the Redding area during the coldest part of the event, which greatly contributed to the low temperatures.

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It snowed the entire day on the 6th here. But very lightly, only amounted to 1.25". Stayton picked up several inches though. Was in Albany on the morning of December 9th and they had about 6" on the ground. 

Snowfall                                  Precip

2022-23: 95.0"                      2022-23: 17.39"

2021-22: 52.6"                    2021-22: 91.46" 

2020-21: 12.0"                    2020-21: 71.59"

2019-20: 23.5"                   2019-20: 58.54"

2018-19: 63.5"                   2018-19: 66.33"

2017-18: 30.3"                   2017-18: 59.83"

2016-17: 49.2"                   2016-17: 97.58"

2015-16: 11.75"                 2015-16: 68.67"

2014-15: 3.5"
2013-14: 11.75"                  2013-14: 62.30
2012-13: 16.75"                 2012-13: 78.45  

2011-12: 98.5"                   2011-12: 92.67"

It's always sunny at Winters Hill! 
Fighting the good fight against weather evil.

 

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Only been in Eugene for 5 years, but that was an impressive cold snap. Snow cover here in S. Eugene was 8-9 inches at my place, especially impressive that it dumped during the middle of the day and not in the early morning hours. 

Bend, OR

Elevation: 3550'

 

Snow History:

Nov: 1"

Dec: .5"

Jan: 1.9"

Feb: 12.7"

Mar: 1.0"

Total: 17.1"

 

2016/2017: 70"

2015/2016: 34"

Average: ~25"

 

2017/2018 Winter Temps

Lowest Min: 1F on 2/23

Lowest Max: 23F on 12/24, 2/22

Lows <32: 87

Highs <32: 13

 

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It is interesting how much greater the anomalies were the further south you went with both cold waves last winter.  That having been said it was still impressively cold here.  Both cold waves froze a 30 gallon garbage can full of water, that I had in my back yard, nearly solid.

 

The lack of snow up here was the thing that chapped my hide a wee bit.

 

I feel the same way. So much potential existed.

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We had a few record low maxes with this cold spell in Salt Lake City. Ten days in a row below freezing, most of that below 25.

Winter 23-24: Total Snow (3.2")    Total Ice (0.2")     Coldest Low: 1F     Coldest High: 5F

Snow Events: 0.1" Jan 5th, 0.2" Jan 9th, 1.6" Jan 14, 0.2" (ice) Jan 22, 1.3" Feb 12

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  • 2 weeks later...

The Dec 2013 Arctic intrusion, along with the Feb 2014 one, continued the post 2006 trend of more frequent Arctic outbreaks in the PNW. And this November cold wave, while certainly centered much further east, is nothing to sneeze at. The dearth of Arctic intrusions seen from 1997-2005 remains an unfortunate anomaly (for us winter weather lovers who came of age in the PNW during that period).

 

But fortunate in that it was an anomaly.

A forum for the end of the world.

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The Dec 2013 Arctic intrusion, along with the Feb 2014 one, continued the post 2006 trend of more frequent Arctic outbreaks in the PNW. And this November cold wave, while certainly centered much further east, is nothing to sneeze at. The dearth of Arctic intrusions seen from 1997-2005 remains an unfortunate anomaly (for us winter weather lovers who came of age in the PNW during that period).

 

But fortunate in that it was an anomaly.

 

Flatiron?

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