January 2014 in the PNW

[seattleweatherguy]

driest year on record? weather.com puts kenmore at 57 no way.

[Gradient Keeper]

***Update
115mph gust measured@1:39 PM!

Crown Point / Vista House

[Gradient Keeper]

79 F in Coos Bay! WOW

http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/mesowest/getobext.php?sid=E3367&table=1&banner=off

[Deweydog]

Amazingly... on this gorgeous day with sunshine almost everywhere... the Covington/Auburn area is stubbornly stuck in fog.    

 

Jim will have no idea how beautiful it was within 5 miles in every direction of him.  

 

60 degrees here and sunny.   

 

I can see the headline now... "Covington man abducted from his home by elitist North Bend sun enthusiast in attempt to expose him to free air conditions, rape kit results pending."  

[TT-SEA]

I can see the headline now... "Covington man abducted from his home by elitist North Bend sun enthusiast in attempt to expose him to free air conditions, rape kit results pending."  

 

You made me laugh.    

[Gradient Keeper]

*UPDATE .... WOW. NEW PEAK GUST CROWN POINT 122MPH! @1:49 PM.

[50shadesofvan]

Wow, I'm absolutely blown away by the strength of the winds today @ The Gorge that I had to do a feature post on it. Some of the videos on social media have been absolutely incredible.

Jealous of those who did the drive from Portland today to experience those hurricane force wind gusts.

 

http://50shadesofvan.com/blog/2014/1/24/water-140-kmhr-wind-gust-endless-enterainment

 

Cheers. 

[TT-SEA]

Wow, I'm absolutely blown away by the strength of the winds today @ The Gorge that I had to do a feature post on it. Some of the videos on social media have been absolutely incredible.

Jealous of those who did the drive from Portland today to experience those hurricane force wind gusts.

 

http://50shadesofvan.com/blog/2014/1/24/water-140-kmhr-wind-gust-endless-enterainment

 

Cheers. 

 

Amazing!

 

Posting this image for Jim when he gets on here later today... his location is under that small patch of fog in southern King County that somehow can't get blown out by the dry air and easterly flow all around there.

 

http://s29.postimg.org/oyagrcngn/jan91.gif

 

Issaquah also has that problem at times... but not today.

 

http://s3.postimg.org/vkcjztopf/ISSGR_l.jpg

 

Here is Covington:

http://s29.postimg.org/kpjzds5af/516vc01152.jpg

 

 

And a couple miles away up the road in Maple Valley:

 

http://s10.postimg.org/udpz1o755/018vc01683.jpg

 

 

Microclimate craziness today!   

[luvssnow_spokane]

Amazing!

 

Posting this image for Jim when he gets on here later today... his location is under that small patch of fog in southern King County that somehow can't get blown out by the dry air and easterly flow all around there.

 

http://s29.postimg.org/oyagrcngn/jan91.gif

 

Issaquah also has that problem at times... but not today.

 

http://s3.postimg.org/vkcjztopf/ISSGR_l.jpg

 

That fog is actually my house in Bonney lake... It is swamp country what else do you expect.

[Prairiedog]

Tyler Mode took this of me.  Winds then were between 106-110.  Steve Pierce came up later and has hit 122!  Unbelievable.  Guess the video file was too big to post.

[HighlandExperience]

Amazing!

 

Posting this image for Jim when he gets on here later today... his location is under that small patch of fog in southern King County that somehow can't get blown out by the dry air and easterly flow all around there.

 

 

Microclimate craziness today!   

 

Yes interesting. I just talked to a friend who lives in Black Diamond (which I assume is close to Jim), and he said they are still socked in there. Poor guys!

 

Beautiful day though!

[GHweatherChris]

Amazing!

 

Posting this image for Jim when he gets on here later today... his location is under that small patch of fog in southern King County that somehow can't get blown out by the dry air and easterly flow all around there.

 

http://s29.postimg.org/oyagrcngn/jan91.gif

 

Issaquah also has that problem at times... but not today.

 

http://s3.postimg.org/vkcjztopf/ISSGR_l.jpg

 

Here is Covington:

http://s29.postimg.org/kpjzds5af/516vc01152.jpg

 

 

And a couple miles away up the road in Maple Valley:

 

http://s10.postimg.org/udpz1o755/018vc01683.jpg

 

 

Microclimate craziness today!   

Your infatuation with Jim is disturbing.

[SilverFallsAndrew]

18z could bring snow to my elevation next Saturday.

[SilverFallsAndrew]

Arctic blast at hour 300...Book it!

[TT-SEA]

Your infatuation with Jim is disturbing.

 

Its more of a microclimate thing today... amazing that the wind can be gusting to 122 mph in the gorge and a few spots can't even get out of the fog.   

 

Just so happens that Jim said it would be a gloomy week and his neighborhood is about the only spot in the gloom right now.  

 

Update... the fog is clearing out even there now.   

[TT-SEA]

Arctic blast at hour 300...Book it!

 

 

Done!   

[Deweydog]

Its more of a microclimate thing today... amazing that the wind can be gusting to 122 mph in the gorge and a few spots can't even get out of the fog.   

 

Just so happens that Jim said it would be a gloomy week and his neighborhood is about the only spot in the gloom right now.  

 

Update... the fog is clearing out even there now.   

 

It'd be more amazing if the fact the wind is blowing 122 mph wasn't a result of places being unable to get out of the fog.  

[TT-SEA]

It'd be more amazing if the fact the wind is blowing 122 mph wasn't a result of places being unable to get out of the fog.  

 

 

I know... still seems strange though.

[SilverFallsAndrew]

Wow the 18z was good! The ensembles aren't bad though!

[Jesse]

Yeah, he's been pretty insufferable lately. Not totally sure if he's just doing it for kicks at this point.

 

How anyone can look at the 12z models and act like it's "same old, same old" is beyond me. The pattern change is pretty well accounted for at this point in model-land.

 

Christ, I sound like Jim now. 

 

I think that's it.

 

The models are looking pretty good right now, all things considered. 

[Jesse]

36/32 out here today with raging winds. This has been hands down the windiest two day stretch since I moved out here.

 

Crazy that it was 70 in Medford today. Is that a new January record for them?

 

73 in North Bend is also pretty wild.

 

Hopefully the "extremes beget extremes" theory pays off next month.

[Jesse]

66 in Forks today. 29 in Spokane.

[Gradient Keeper]

36/32 out here today with raging winds. This has been hands down the windiest two day stretch since I moved out here.

 

Crazy that it was 70 in Medford today. Is that a new January record for them?

 

74 in North Bend is also pretty wild.

 

Hopefully the "extremes beget extremes" theory pays off next month.

Yah, hopefully.

[BLI snowman]

The progression of this winter has been strikingly similar to 1993-94. Early season arctic airmass that was mostly dry, lengthy ridges and inversions in December/January and very dry across the West, then we had a pretty cold and active February as the blocking shifted back in our favor a bit.

 

If this were an El Nino winter, I'd throw in the towel for winter right now. But neutral or -ENSO years following a January like this one consistently have late winter action to compensate for the midwinter ridging. 

[TT-SEA]

The progression of this winter has been strikingly similar to 1993-94. Early season arctic airmass that was mostly dry, lengthy ridges and inversions in December/January and very dry across the West, then we had a pretty cold and active February as the blocking shifted back in our favor a bit.

 

If this were an El Nino winter, I'd throw in the towel for winter right now. But neutral or -ENSO years following a January like this one consistently have late winter action to compensate for the midwinter ridging. 

 

That would be OK.

 

Active February but March was decent... even got up to 80 degrees at the end of the month.   

[Gradient Keeper]

00z GFS in 3 hours

00z GEM in 3 1/2

00z EURO in 5 hours 36 minutes

For once in a long time I am actually a tad anxious to see the runs tonight. Hoping for some good ones.

[Skagit Weather]

Wow the 18z was good! The ensembles aren't bad though!

Yeah the 18z ensemble mean was just a tad warmer than the 12z for Seattle, but an average of -5C with many members under -10C is not too shabby. Still would like more precipitation up here than the operational shows.

 

[TT-SEA]

Furnace set at 68 degrees... but its 73 degrees inside the house this evening thanks to warm sun beating in the windows all day.

 

This month is going to save me some money on my electric bill.   

[snow_wizard]

The progression of this winter has been strikingly similar to 1993-94. Early season arctic airmass that was mostly dry, lengthy ridges and inversions in December/January and very dry across the West, then we had a pretty cold and active February as the blocking shifted back in our favor a bit.

 

If this were an El Nino winter, I'd throw in the towel for winter right now. But neutral or -ENSO years following a January like this one consistently have late winter action to compensate for the midwinter ridging.

I absolutely agree with much of this. The models are fantastic right now!

[snow_wizard]

Very weird day today. It cleared out in the Kent- Auburn valley, but I hit pea soup fog on the Kent East Hill on the way home. Sometimes this happens with strong offshore gradients when the gradient angle is ESE to WNW like it is today. Pretty chilly day here today.

[TT-SEA]

Very weird day today. It cleared out in the Kent- Auburn valley, but I hit pea soup fog on the Kent East Hill on the way home. Sometimes this happens with strong offshore gradients when the gradient angle is ESE to WNW like it is today. Pretty chilly day here today.

 

 

61 here today with a dewpoint in the 20s.   

 

About as far from fog as possible.   

 

SEA hit 55 with sunshine all day.

[TT-SEA]

SEA-EAT gradient up to a impressive -10.1 now... stiff east wind out there.    Lip-chapping dry.

 

Gradients goes almost flat tomorrow afternoon though.

[snow_wizard]

Amazing how varied the temps were in the Puget Sound lowlands today. 43-29 here while SEA checked in with 55-34. This has consistently been one of the colder spots this winter. My January average is below 40 now.

 

Me bets the fog will be much more stubborn over the weekend than the past couple of days.

[SilverFallsAndrew]

Gearing up for the 00z.

[Jesse]

Gearing up for the 00z.

 

This might help you:

 

http://thesaurus.com/browse/Depressing

[slim1357]

 

My little brother on the steps at Vista House around 1:20 pm today. Bonus faceplant in the background.

[snow_wizard]

This might help you:

 

http://thesaurus.com/browse/Depressing

 

 

I think the mood has finally started to change on here though.  It got to the point where I had to stay away from the forum much of the time over the past few weeks.  Hopefully this whole thing next month will work out so maybe people won't be so quick to throw in the towel in the future.

[SilverFallsAndrew]

I am pretty confident it will snow at my house in February.

[Jesse]

I think the mood has finally started to change on here though.  It got to the point where I had to stay away from the forum much of the time over the past few weeks.  Hopefully this whole thing next month will work out so maybe people won't be so quick to throw in the towel in the future.

 

That would be nice. People tend to get along a lot better here when the weather is fun.

[TT-SEA]

I am pretty confident it will snow at my house in February.

 

 

I know it will snow at my house as well.

 

Not exactly a big deal though.