December 2016 Observations and Model Discussion for the Pacific Northwest

[Perturbed Member]

I was just checking web cams... snowing pretty good around Staleys Junction on 26 and that might be coming your way.  

 

 

I'm getting hit by this stuff. Solid increase in precip rate. Back to pretty steady snow again. 

[Jesse]

Hearing reports of some 3-4 hour commutes around Portland and even some people abandoning their cars on the interstate.

 

Also hearing there may still be school buses trying to get kids home.

 

Can anyone confirm?

 

Pretty amazing what a couple inches can do around here.

A couple inches that falls right during commute time would probably affect any major city with terrain as varied as Portland's pretty bad.

[Goducks09]

I'm getting hit by this stuff. Solid increase in precip rate. Back to pretty steady snow again. 

 

Mark thinks this band is going to rotate over the metro area soon.

[Perturbed Member]

Hearing reports of some 3-4 hour commutes around Portland and even some people abandoning their cars on the interstate.

 

Also hearing there may still be school buses trying to get kids home.

 

Can anyone confirm?

 

Pretty amazing what a couple inches can do around here.

 

All true. The roads here have been a disaster, know plenty of people who have 15 minute commutes which instead took 3 hours. Friend's kids are still stuck at school. 

[TT-SEA]

It's about the same here too. It's been pretty windy though, as I said earlier, so there are some spots that are still totally bare and others with 5-6" drifts.

 

I'd like to think that even though the DZ isn't all that dynamic it could still be a boone to any location it stalls over. They tend to go semi-stationary some times. Also winds are lightening up now so I could get some more uniform coverage. I'm being picky now!!

 

 

Significantly more than my total for this storm which stands at 0.00 inches.     

[Jbolin]

FWIW, 2z HRRR shows a chunk of precip breaking off and hanging around the South Sound over the next couple hours.

That's a big IF

[bainbridgekid]

A couple inches that falls right during commute time would probably affect any major city with terrain as varied as Portland's pretty bad.

Yeah, most of the criticism we get around here for not being able to deal with snow is pretty unfair IMO.

 

1. Hardly any US cities as hilly as Seattle and Portland get snow. At a certain point gravity simply overpowers the lack of friction and there's nothing you can do.

2. Our snow almost always falls near freezing which makes it almost always super slick.

3. We get snow often enough to pose significant problems every year or two, but not often enough to make it worth investing in adequate plows, sanders, and other snow removal equipment.

 

It's kind of the perfect storm around here for snow to really mess things up. Our drivers not being used to driving in the snow surely doesn't help, but it is far from the main factor.

[Dave]

What a sh!tshow down here.  No snowflakes.  Trees coming down everywhere.  My huge douglas fir tree has limbs so droopy that they are only about 5 feet above the road.  The lowest branch is probably about 30 feet high.

 

This is the biggest disappointment since 2008.

 

To top it off, the satellite dish is frozen and out.

 

Good thing there are no cliffs nearby.

[GHweatherChris]

What a sh!tshow down here. No snowflakes. Trees coming down everywhere. My huge douglas fir tree has limbs so droopy that they are only about 5 feet above the road. The lowest branch is probably about 30 feet high.

 

This is the biggest disappointment since 2008.

 

To top it off, the satellite dish is frozen and out.

 

Good thing there are no cliffs nearby.

Use Rain X or cooking spray on your dish, it will help inhibit snow and ice accumulation.

[Front Ranger]

A couple inches that falls right during commute time would probably affect any major city with terrain as varied as Portland's pretty bad.

 

And lack of plows.

[CTA]

Irritating, radar shows snow over Olympia, but nothing coming down.

[Jesse]

What a sh!tshow down here. No snowflakes. Trees coming down everywhere. My huge douglas fir tree has limbs so droopy that they are only about 5 feet above the road. The lowest branch is probably about 30 feet high.

 

This is the biggest disappointment since 2008.

 

To top it off, the satellite dish is frozen and out.

 

Good thing there are no cliffs nearby.

Looking like a pretty significant ice storm for you guys down there. I am not aware of those happening too often in the south valley, but I could be wrong.

[Front Ranger]

Irritating, radar shows snow over Olympia, but nothing coming down.

 

Virga for now, but also looks like heavier stuff is building in just to your south.

[HighlandExperience]

Virga for now, but also looks like heavier stuff is building in just to your south.

 

Reports of snow up to Chehalis now. Keep pushing!!!! 

[Front Ranger]

Congrats Portland/Salem on your first significant snowstorm since Feb 2014!

[crf450ish]

Wow! The snow is almost to my place. I'm really impressed. I thought this was going to stay south of HWY-2

[crf450ish]

What does virga mean? I keep seeing it on this forum tonight.

[Kayla]

Approaching 6" here now with many 12"+ deep drifts. Starting to really come down again and still only 22º. Going to be some beautiful scenery tomorrow.

[The Swamp]

What does virga mean? I keep seeing it on this forum tonight.

Shits falling out of the clouds but it's not making it to the ground.

[Goducks09]

Zaffino thinks the deformation band may setup above Portland after 10PM

[Kayla]

Zaffino thinks the deformation band may setup above Portland after 10PM

 

Hmmm, seems to be setting up right over us right now...

[crf450ish]

[bainbridgekid]

Approaching 6" here now with many 12"+ deep drifts. Starting to really come down again and still only 22º. Going to be some beautiful scenery tomorrow.

Where do you live?

[Goducks09]

Hmmm, seems to be setting up right over us right now...

 

He's actually talking about one coming in from the north once the Low pulls away SE.  Not the one directly to our west right now.

[crf450ish]

I want to honestly say that I'm truly happy for you PDX folks. It's pretty awesome when major cities this close to the ocean score like this. I hope Seattle is next. Always good times. As long as no one gets hurt. That's not cool.

[FroYoBro]

It basically stopped snowing 30 minutes ago. It just started back up with this band coming in from the west. Hopefully it can stick around for a while. 

[MR.SNOWMIZER]

Shits falling out of the clouds but it's not making it to the ground.

So what tour saying is rhere has never been virga in Puyallup? Rhats why there is so much shitt on the ground?

[Skagit Weather]

Only a high of 32 here today.

 

Yeah, I was surprised how cold it stayed up here. Dropped to 22F this morning and barely cracked 30F during the day. It was my first subfreezing high in almost three years. Unfortunately we don't have snow to keep temps down, but there will probably some mid to low teens here in the coming days.

[Dave]

Looking like a pretty significant ice storm for you guys down there. I am not aware of those happening too often in the south valley, but I could be wrong.

We get it pretty bad down here about once every 5 years, but not like Portland.  Sometimes low level cold gets trapped here with no escape and we can get over an inch of accumulation.  Feb 2014 was worse than this (so far).

 

I lived in PDX in 1996 and that was the worst ice storm I've ever seen.  Someone rang our doorbell early in the morning and asked if we were aware that our tree is blocking the road.

[Perturbed Member]

What is this band coming off the west? Some kind of wrap around? It is actually producing much higher snowfall rates than the main band itself. Currently have 2.5 inches or so and can pick up more fairly quick if this thing can hold. Nice big flakes and just dumping. 

[Deweydog]

What is this band coming off the west? Some kind of wrap around? It is actually producing much higher snowfall rates than the main band itself. Currently have 2.5 inches or so and can pick up more fairly quick if this thing can hold. Nice big flakes and just dumping.

It's a weak deformation zone.

[Perturbed Member]

It's a weak deformation zone.

 

I guess I'm ok no matter what it is as long as it means more snow. Mark is claiming it is wrap around moisture. Hopefully it sticks around for a bit. 

[crf450ish]

[bainbridgekid]

I guess I'm ok no matter what it is as long as it means more snow. Mark is claiming it is wrap around moisture. Hopefully it sticks around for a bit. 

Deformation zones are wraparound moisture. So they're both right. 

[Jesse]

Light to moderate snow just started back up here. It would be nice to see this keep up for a few hours.

 

Winds have really died off too.

[Arctic Front]

That's a big IF

I thought you were a Met? Lol

[SilverFallsAndrew]

So Bellingham had a 27/20 today... I feel like that is notable...

[Perturbed Member]

Light to moderate snow just started back up here. It would be nice to see this keep up for a few hours.

 

Winds have really died off too.

 

How much do you have now? I was at 2.5 in last I measured in Hillsboro. 

[Arctic Front]

So Bellingham had a 27/20 today... I feel like that is notable...

Outflow doing its thing

[SilverFallsAndrew]

My brother in The Dalles reported 6" a while ago. My friends parents in Bend are saying they are approaching 20". Silverton has 4", Stayton 2". Doesn't sound like it was a huge storm for my place, but maybe a couple inches. IDK my fiancee is at work and her parents don't really care about snow...