1000'NorthBend

6.39” of rain for October so far, with 0.50” yesterday and 0.36” today. Looks like we may break 10” by the time this month is over.

Rattlesnake Lake in North Bend, with Rattlesnake Ledge (THE busiest hike in the NW) behind it. I’ve been fishing there on my kayak, no motors allowed. Kayaking is my favorite way to see the lake, if you paddle to the opposite side, you can feel alone out there on a busy day. Lake is low currently despite the September rains because the lake level is primarily controlled by the watershed. Now is a great time to see remnants of Moncton, the town at the bottom of the lake that was accidentally flooded in the early 1900s. Spotted a heron on the shore there today. In past summers, I have seen otters playing in the water and sunbathing on the stumps.

Looks like I maxed out at 55.7°F on Saturday. However, I was in Connecticut at the time. Got to 80°F on the beach of Long Island Sound the day before that. Perfect for a swim.

Still haven’t broke 60°F imby this month. Only 0.03” on the week, but 4.09” on the month. Beautiful October day, definitely not one to be wasted.

I measured snowfall that February. It was about 2 feet that fell on the 11th/12th, but we already had 1.5 to 2 feet from the previous week. With compaction, I measured between 36” to 42” on the ground at the end of the 12th. Here are my totals: 10" on the 3rd/4th 7" on 8th/9th 6" on 10th 19" to 24" on 11th/12th (Difficult to measure) 1.5" on 19th/20th 2" on 22nd Our neighborhood experienced the most impactful windstorm (January 6) and snowstorm (February) in most longtime residents memories in 2019. That is the main entrance to our neighborhood, completely blocked. I feel like that windstorm didn’t stick with most Puget Sound weather fans but it must have had the perfect wind direction to funnel along Rattlesnake Mountain and just punish the trees in that area. Without power, and with several neighbors with holes in their roofs, it snowed the next night. A foreboding preview of the snowy February to come.

Remember that it wasn’t until October 1918 that they completed the masonry dam. Then the fall rains happened, the dammed area began to fill up, and eventually it gave out in one location, the Boxley Blowout. So it’s possible that the rain didn’t have to be at its most intense during the burst. However, reports do mention “torrential rains”, so who knows. I think the date is pretty well established though, because it was so close to Christmas (hence, the lesser known Christmas Lake near Rattlesnake Lake, a remnant of the blowout).

Seattle Municipal Archives, they have a decent photo collection of Rattlesnake Lake, the town that was there (Moncton), and the Watershed. I also see logging photos of the Snoqualmie Valley posted by the Snoqualmie Valley Historical Society. The story is so incredible, especially that they only got help because North Bend saw parts of the town of Edgewick floating down the Snoqualmie River.

I always use this cropped real estate photo to place my home (west-adjacent of that little lake) in the context of Rattlesnake Ledge (rocky outcrop, top right), Rattlesnake Lake (center of photo), and the Cedar River Watershed (background). My neighborhood is so tree-covered, you can hardly make out a single home even though there are 100s. Definitely not on a mountain, just right at the base. That photo also pairs well with this 1919 photo of the same(ish) area that depicts the extent of logging back in those days. Insane. You can see the Boxley Blowout in the center of the photo that took out an entire town in 1918. I can’t imagine how those deforested slopes handled all that rain.

Definitely a milestone that gets me excited for this winter. 1.02” of rain so far today, 40°F.

Low of 37, beautiful October day. Thinking of going to find some temps in the 20s tomorrow AM. Can’t wait til all I have to do is step outside to feel 20s.

Lingering sprinkles near sunset, but it’s clearing up.

0.39” today, 59.34” for the year!* October is a beautiful PNW month, whether sunny & crisp, or cool & damp. *I added in a neighbor’s rain gauge data for the first 20 days of January, when my weather station wasn’t fully set up

Yes, it’s accurate. Other weather stations within my vicinity are generally in line with my monthly total of 8.21” (I see a range of 7” to 9”). As you know, rainfall totals in our area vary considerably over short distance based on distance from Rattlesnake Mountain (it’s noticeable on neighborhood walks). I am right up against the base of the mountain and therefore see higher totals. That is why I typically put IMBY in my posts, to account for rain and temp differences affected by Rattlesnake Mountain. I suspect the quantity of rain has felt less pronounced because the soil is soaking up so much of it, so the creeks are barely running still.

8.21” on the month, 1.63” today. Wet! Currently 51°F IMBY, has been below 60°F since Monday.

0.96” rain since Friday morning. The ole familiar puddles are back on the local gravel trails, no complaining about muddy legs today.