IbrChris

What convinced you to go that route versus either military, working while going to school or incurring student debt?

Is it a scholarship if it's not contingent on school attendance? Or is the award contingent on school attendance? If not, seems it's just a payment for services. If it is, it's probably less than you would receive working the same number of hours at a job. Still seems like the GI bill would be preferable and only a year longer (4 years service for 4 years of schooling covered). I spent 2 years in Brazil both doing missionary work and volunteer work (much of it was teaching English classes). No remuneration and no scholarships...but I don't regret the experience.

College savings plans? My parents didn't pay for my school and I don't resent them for not paying for it. I qualified for some grants, some scholarships and ended up getting about $15,000 in student loans (back when the Stafford interest rate was 6.8% too, today it's half that). Paid those loans off a couple years ago. I don't intend to pay my kids' way (not to mention too many variables with cost of college increasing in some cases 400% of inflation and no way to know where your child will attend). It very well could cost 3-4x what it does today by the time they get to college and very few investments will deliver sufficient rate of return to guarantee affordability.

Scholarships, last I looked, are only issued once you're in school. Actually a big reason why I opted against going back to school (besides a roughly $100,000 a year opportunity cost even with a full-ride) is the fact that I have kids now. Full-time school is not very compatible with raising a family...though some people can swing it. Military (like ROTC) makes more sense if you're looking for an easy way to pay for school. I'm not a big fan of this route but it has some definite upside, namely the GI bill. Downside of course is possible deployment if der Fuehrer Drumpf has his way.

For PDX the average is 12-13 days using the 1981-2010 period. A day or two more for HIO. For SEA it's about 3 days For a few cities around the PNW average days >= 90 for 1981-2010: Bellingham <1 Hoquiam 1 Olympia 6 Quillayute <1 Seattle (Sea-Tac) 3 Spokane 20 Walla Walla 44 Wenatchee 33 Yakima 32 Astoria 0 Baker 24 Burns 23 Eugene 14 Klamath Falls 14 Medford 55 North Bend <1 Pendleton 34 Portland 12 Redmond 27 Salem 16

Crazy that Albany, NY is headed for 82 or so today yet we haven't managed 65 at PDX yet this spring. Nevermind, KALB already hit 82 today...maybe 83 or 84.

Nice to see that beautiful ridge on the 12z GFS Op...fair minority of GEFS members going for some sort of warmth out in the 11-15...fingers crossed. If the Op scenario materializes we'd be talking well into the 80s PDX...SEA probably 80 too. At least we look to switch to a +PNA around 4/20...continuing through the 11-15 period so it might not be a terribly far-fetched progression.

So do my kids live with me in a cardboard box or where you able to rely on generous family members/trust fund?

No doubt eventually we'll see a decent ridge at some point. Can't recall the last one that wasn't a simple shortwave affair.

Well I guess take that comment for what it's worth...lol. The value of "art" is in the eye of the beholder...or reader as it were.

The trees in my yard have informed me of the change of seasons, along with the increased daylight, even if the temperatures and abundant precip suggest a continuation of winter.

I expect the rather damp/unsettled weather will continue, at least through the third week of April, but the precip amounts will lessen with more of a showery regime and orographic component. Areas on the lee side of the Cascades may be mostly dry with plenty of sun while anywhere with any appreciable terrain sees a lot of clouds and showers whether west of the Cascades or across NE Washington and the Blue Mtns. Might sneak in something close to 70 in the next ~14 days but it isn't clear at this point what day(s) other than it likely won't be in the next week or so.

Best thing I've read on the forum in quite awhile. Nicely done.

My first year on there it was $180 for a whole year or $20 a month. I cancelled a few months ago after probably 2 or 3 years of membership. No reason to pay when I already have access to the same thing through work.

My educated guess would be April 2017 ends up below normal and wetter than normal for the PNW (possibly Cali as well)...a good analog may be April 2012. Beyond that there's less of a signal, although most long-range guidance is showing May as normal to below normal in the PNW. Summer is still up in the air even from a long-range standpoint, although a move toward El Nino would suggest warmer than normal temps at some point in the JJA.

Wish I was down in PHX next week...5 days of 90-92 which is close to record territory for mid March. I'll be there in May for about 10 days soaking in that sun.

Mon-Wed high temps along I-5 corridor from 00z ensemble blend: YVR 50 | 51 | 51 SEA 56 | 58 | 57 PDX 59 | 60 | 59 SLE 61 | 61 | 60 EUG 64 | 62 | 62 MFR 70 | 68 | 66 RDD 80 | 76 | 73 There's slight warmer risk if the trough near 165 W digs a bit more allowing for a bit more ridge amplification along the west coast.

Pretty good odds of first 60 of the year at PDX Mon-Wed next week...depending on whether we can get some sunbreaks between systems. First 70 at Medford likely Sun-Tue timeframe. Gradual cooling trend back half of next week into the following weekend as an upper level trough moves closer to the PNW. Highs below 50 at PDX look fairly unlikely in the next 15 days.

Euro ensemble should start coming out about 30-40 mins earlier starting today with the run finishing around 3 pm EST/3 am EST.

BIggest positive and negative temp anomalies among US and Canadian load centers: 1-5 day: +9.7 Austin, TX and El Paso, TX -23.7 Edmonton, AB 6-10 day: +10.8 Denver, CO -9.2 Edmonton, AB 11-15 day: +9.4 El Paso, TX -3.0 Portland, OR

1-15 day forecast temperature anomalies (based on an average of the Euro ensemble, GFS ensemble and CMC ensemble and 1981-2010 normals). 1-5 day period: PDX: -1.2 SEA: -2.6 GEG: -2.6 MFR: 3.6 BOI: 2.9 YVR: -4.8 6-10 day period: PDX: 0.1 SEA: 0.7 GEG: 0.8 MFR: 3.4 BOI: 4.1 YVR: -1.7 11-15 day period: PDX: -3.0 SEA: -1.8 GEG: -1.4 MFR: -0.8 BOI: 0.3 YVR: -2.4

Those darn 1000' snow levels.

A cool and wet couple weeks in the offing...snow levels around 1500-2000' through early next week rising a bit mid week and falling back down toward 2000-3000' through mid-month. QPF looks robust...130-150% of normal for PDX. Good spring snow pattern, resorts should see increasing base depth.

DJF coldest on record (airport 1940-2017), mean temp: 35.0 1948-49 35.7 1949-50 36.3 1978-79 36.3 1968-69 37.2 2016-17 Pre-PDX: 36.3 1889-90 36.5 1892-93 36.6 1928-29 37.5 1909-10

More 70 degree weather in Philly! I'd take that over 40 degree rain.