March 2017 Observations and Model Discussion for the Pacific Northwest

[jcmcgaffey]

I assume you're talking about SEA's stats. Doesn't 70%+ of possible sunshine officially count as a sunny day? If so, seems like today might qualify.

 

Regardless, it was a very cloudy month for sure, especially the first half with none of the first 15 days having more than 20% sunshine at SEA. Since then, there have been 6 partly to mostly sunny days.

 

11 days with .30"+ precip, so definitely a lot of soakers.

 

Of course, it's been a little better further north, with SEA missing out on the rain shadow most the month. Instead it's been focused from north Seattle to Arlington.

Ya I am talking SEA. Today may count for a sunny day although it was misting until about noon today and was never really sunny but pretty cloudy the entire day. The big difference this year to last year is The heavy rains last year were larger in amounts than this years heavy rains and more partly cloudy days in between.

[Jesse]

Good chance that today is our hottest day of the year.

That 71 felt downright toasty.

[Winterdog]

Wow, Arlington airport only measured 2.44" this month: https://www.wunderground.com/history/airport/KAWO/2017/3/31/MonthlyCalendar.html?req_city=Arlington&req_state=WA&reqdb.zip=98223&reqdb.magic=1&reqdb.wmo=99999#calendar 

 

33% of what SEA got.

Also odd that I recorded over 11" of precip during the month and I live less than 8 miles SE of the airport. I recorded 2.2" Tuesday through Wednesday this week alone! I have standing water on my property and had a mallard duck swimming around in one puddle Wednesday morning.

[ShawniganLake]

Also odd that I recorded over 11" of precip during the month and I live less than 8 miles SE of the airport. I recorded 2.2" Tuesday through Wednesday this week alone! I have standing water on my property and had a mallard duck swimming around in one puddle Wednesday morning.

Makes me wonder how accurate that 2.4" is at Arlington airport!

[BLI snowman]

That 71 felt downright toasty.

 

Felt somewhat oppressive as the dewpoints shot up this evening. Yuck.

[BLI snowman]

Makes me wonder how accurate that 2.4" is at Arlington airport!

 

AWO has never adequately recorded precip. Nor does the Burlington airport.

[ShawniganLake]

Felt somewhat oppressive as the dewpoints shot up this evening. Yuck.

Want to trade? 52/34 here today. Currently 45F with rain moving in.

[Jesse]

Want to trade? 52/34 here today. Currently 45F with rain moving in.

PDX actually only hit 58. I had 57/36 here.

 

Almost wall to wall sunshine after noon, though. Awesome day.

[SilverFallsAndrew]

52/31 here

[TT-SEA]

Our mid-week dry spell is shrinking with each run.

 

Here was the 12Z GFS for Wednesday afternoon:

 

http://www.tropicaltidbits.com/analysis/models/gfs/2017033112/gfs_mslp_pcpn_frzn_us_22.png

 

 

And now the 00Z GFS for the same time:

http://www.tropicaltidbits.com/analysis/models/gfs/2017040100/gfs_mslp_pcpn_frzn_us_20.png

[BLI snowman]

Want to trade? 52/34 here today. Currently 45F with rain moving in.

 

I am driving up as we speak. I'll be chasing the 540 thickness line the rest of the year.

[ShawniganLake]

I am driving up as we speak. I'll be chasing the 540 thickness line the rest of the year.

Fuel up before you hit the border. Gas hit $1.32/litre. What is that ...$5.00/ gallon.

[VancouverIslandSouth]

Our mid-week dry spell is shrinking with each run.

 

Here was the 12Z GFS for Wednesday afternoon:

 

http://www.tropicaltidbits.com/analysis/models/gfs/2017033112/gfs_mslp_pcpn_frzn_us_22.png

 

 

And now the 00Z GFS for the same time:

http://www.tropicaltidbits.com/analysis/models/gfs/2017040100/gfs_mslp_pcpn_frzn_us_20.png

 

Hopefully we can score some of that rain in the rain shadow. Wasn't a great day here, cold/cloudy/windy/rainless.

[SilverFallsAndrew]

Final March stats

 

Avg Max: 48.5

Avg Min : 36.3

Precip:    15.79"

Snow:      13.0"

Max:         59

Min:          29

Sub-32:     8

Sub- 40 max: 2

24 rain max: 1.45"

[SilverFallsAndrew]

Alaska was historically cold in March, at least I know Anchorage and Fairbanks were. The first 30 days of March were below average at Fairbanks. Yesterday broke the streak.

[Timmy Supercell]

5.6" inches of snow in March here, all of which fell on 3 days from the 4th to the 6th. A bunch of other days I had either wet snow or around a trace.

 

Time for thunderstorms now!

[Front Ranger]

Also odd that I recorded over 11" of precip during the month and I live less than 8 miles SE of the airport. I recorded 2.2" Tuesday through Wednesday this week alone! I have standing water on my property and had a mallard duck swimming around in one puddle Wednesday morning.

 

Interesting. Well, your area has been drier relative to normal than most the region so far this year.

 

[Winterdog]

Interesting. Well, your area has been drier relative to normal than most the region so far this year.

 

YearPNormWRCC-NW.png

Yes that is true especially for January/February but March has been well above normal in the Lake Stevens, Granite Falls area. That map shows Arlington in the 110 to 130% of normal for the 3 month period. Other reports near Arlington show well above normal totals for March. I'm inclined to think that airport total is in error considering the airport shows a total of .94" precip for February and only 0.03" for January! Fire season starting early there.

[VancouverIslandSouth]

Perfect spring day today, rainy through the night then clearing up, currently partly sunny and 59F.

[Anti Marine Layer]

People still posting in the March topic, even though it is April. It's a mild spring day here in Southern California. Most trees are in full spring bloom here, except for ours, which just has some leaves due to being pruned in late February and the one across the street, which has no leaves due to being overpruned by a different gardener. If they stay in the dead of spring for much longer, I would have to think that tree is permanently dead.

[Geos]

March wrap-up for my location. Slightly below normal and quite wet with over 6" of rain.

 

 

 

[ShawniganLake]

March ended up fairly cool here. -1.1F departure for the month.