PNW December 2022 - Part II

[The Blob]

The freeways look fun

[KingstonWX]

1 minute ago, Cloud said:

Ahh yes… no wonder there’s very to little snow being shown on the models. The period (now) in which we’re supposed to see snow gets evaporated. Radar looks good and nothing reaches the ground.

With these low dew points, that's likely exactly what is happening. I always hate these scenarios because when I see the incoming radar echoes, I tend to think, "God the NWS is so dumb, don't they see these precip rates?!?" only to later find out they were right because the entire first half of the whole D**n system failed to make it to the ground.

[Cascadia_Wx]

43 minutes ago, Front Ranger said:

Little known fact: weather is behind most violent crimes.

I’ve always heard of heatwaves being attributable to spikes of crime in major cities.

#violencehasawarmbias

Edited December 23, 2022 by Cascadia_Wx

[RentonHill]

9 minutes ago, Christensen87 said:

Windstorm still showing up on the 00z GFS next week. Yay, something exciting to track after this depressing warmup. 

1/1/2006. AKA Dec 2005 continued

[TacomaWx]

1 minute ago, GHweatherChris said:

Oh it is still all sleet falling, no liquid precip at all, but every surface is just ice now.

Oh sweet! Actually might get a holy sleet storm.

[Everleigh]

24.8* and we have sleet? It's not snow, sadly. 

[TacomaWx]

7 minutes ago, TigerWoodsLibido said:

The entire ground is a skating rink. Roads are becoming virtually impossible for people to drive on.

Just a couple hundredths of an inch of ice so far? Crazy how so little can do so much. 

[TigerWoodsLibido]

Just now, TacomaWx said:

Just a couple hundredths of an inch of ice so far? Crazy how so little can do so much. 

Yup, already enough to mess up traffic and cause spinouts.

[MossMan]

I cannot think of an overrunning event here that was below 30 degrees to start with. It’s 22 degrees, I’m finding this quite odd. 

[Cascadia_Wx]

9 minutes ago, TigerWoodsLibido said:

The entire ground is a skating rink. Roads are becoming virtually impossible for people to drive on.

To my knowledge freezing rain events are pretty rare down there. Speaks to the strength and tenacity of this low level airmass.

[Doinko]

Just now, TigerWoodsLibido said:

Yup, already enough to mess up traffic and cause spinouts.

What's your temp? Will you manage a subfreezing high today?

[RentonHill]

4 minutes ago, RentonHillTC said:

1/1/2006. AKA Dec 2005 continued

or its 12/25/2005. which is ALSO 2005. 

[KingstonWX]

Just now, MossMan said:

I cannot think of an overrunning event here that was below 30 degrees to start with. It’s 22 degrees, I’m finding this quite odd. 

I literally just said that! Stop stealing my IP plz. 

[Front Ranger]

4 minutes ago, RentonHillTC said:

1/1/2006. AKA Dec 2005 continued

If this is Dec 2005, 1/1/2023 should be the mother of all windstorms.

[dhoffine]

Its so bitterly cold outside, anything but snow just makes no sense.

 

[MR.SNOWMIZER]

2 minutes ago, MossMan said:

I cannot think of an overrunning event here that was below 30 degrees to start with. It’s 22 degrees, I’m finding this quite odd. 

1996. 2008. 2021. 2010

[MossMan]

2 minutes ago, MossMan said:

I cannot think of an overrunning event here that was below 30 degrees to start with. It’s 22 degrees, I’m finding this quite odd. 

Nevermind, December 1996 overrunner I dipped to 14 degrees. This is way different though unfortunately. 

[TigerWoodsLibido]

2 minutes ago, Doinko said:

What's your temp? Will you manage a subfreezing high today?

Currently 25F. Yes we should. Will be the first one since Jan 14, 2017.

[SilverFallsAndrew]

I 84 shut down between Troutdale and Hood River. 

[SouthHillFrosty]

Why is Buffalo a city?

[TacomaWx]

Just now, dhoffine said:

Its so bitterly cold outside, anything but snow just makes no sense.

 

It’s a very cold low level blast we’re in right now…but up above the air is getting warm (at 5000’) or so. It is very odd though with these temps you’d think a blizzard was on the way. Can’t remember an overrunning event that started so cold. Just means this cold air will likely be a b*tch to kick out of here and it’ll hold on for longer than expected most likely. 

[Doinko]

Just now, TigerWoodsLibido said:

Currently 25F. Yes we should. Will be the first one since Jan 14, 2017.

Great that you're breaking your streak! Hoping we can get a good Willamette Valley snowstorm like February 2014 so that we all can get snow

[MossMan]

2 minutes ago, MR.SNOWMIZER said:

1996. 2008. 2021. 2010

I got lots of snow with those and not as cold except for 1996. I am predicted to get 1”.

[snow_wizard]

And the GFS comes in much drier for tomorrow!  Phew!

[runninthruda206]

i just wanna see some snow before the inevitable freeze comes

[TT-SEA]

1 minute ago, MR.SNOWMIZER said:

1996. 2008. 2021. 2010

850mb temp over Seattle by late tomorrow morning is supposed to be +4C.   Snow becomes impossible regardless of the ground temp.    And that is the big problem here.

[Doinko]

Just now, SouthHillFrosty said:

Why is Buffalo a city?

And they already had that historic lake effect snow in November

[TT-SEA]

2 minutes ago, SouthHillFrosty said:

Why is Buffalo a city?

And just a couple miles north there is 3.5 inches.    Insanity to be able to go from 3 inches to 95 inches in such a short distance with no elevation gain.  

[SilverFallsAndrew]

3 minutes ago, SouthHillFrosty said:

Why is Buffalo a city?

Well a lot smaller than when my mom was born there in 1951. 

[snow_wizard]

2 minutes ago, TacomaWx said:

It’s a very cold low level blast we’re in right now…but up above the air is getting warm (at 5000’) or so. It is very odd though with these temps you’d think a blizzard was on the way. Can’t remember an overrunning event that started so cold. Just means this cold air will likely be a b*tch to kick out of here and it’ll hold on for longer than expected most likely. 

This one is exceptional.  To go from a deep cold airmass to one this thin and precip so quickly is very rare.  I really can't think of another example this extreme.  There are a few examples of going from deep cold and snow to torching in a matter of hours, but that's a different animal.

[CloudJunkie]

2 minutes ago, TacomaWx said:

It’s a very cold low level blast we’re in right now…but up above the air is getting warm (at 5000’) or so. It is very odd though with these temps you’d think a blizzard was on the way. Can’t remember an overrunning event that started so cold. Just means this cold air will likely be a b*tch to kick out of here and it’ll hold on for longer than expected most likely. 

I'm still a weather noob, and this is the first weather event in western Washington that's really forced me to visualize the atmosphere as a three-dimensional system. It's crazy to see how much warmer the air is at 1500 meters, compared to the surface.

[Kayla]

28 minutes ago, Cascadia_Wx said:

Ok, it’s definitely back to a sleet/zr mix out there now. Had some small fluffy drifts blowing around earlier but now everything is getting a slight glaze. Down to 18. 

18 and zr is insane. I don’t think we ever had anything below the low 20’s and zr even up in the west hills. Seems pretty likely zr will be the name of the game through Saturday with that deep of a low level cold layer.

[KingstonWX]

4 minutes ago, SouthHillFrosty said:

Why is Buffalo a city?

I can't possibly be the only person here who has considered moving there for the snow. If only they would actually create some nice areas to live in. 

[snow_wizard]

2 minutes ago, TT-SEA said:

And just a couple miles north there is 3.5 inches.    Insanity to be able to go from 3 inches to 95 inches in such a short distance with no elevation gain.  

That's even more insane than some of the insane stuff that happens here.

[TT-SEA]

[Cascadia_Wx]

Just now, Kayla said:

18 and zr is insane. I don’t think we ever had anything below the low 20’s and zr even up in the west hills. Seems pretty likely zr will be the name of the game through Saturday with that deep of low level cold layer.

I’m thinking that too. I’m hoping a mix of sleet will hold on to mitigate things to a degree. But it could get pretty ugly around here by Saturday.

January 2004 was the last time I can remember seeing ZR with temps under 20.

[MR.SNOWMIZER]

3 minutes ago, TT-SEA said:

And just a couple miles north there is 3.5 inches.    Insanity to be able to go from 3 inches to 95 inches in such a short distance with no elevation gain.  

If me or Jim lived 1 mile of that band we would die of heart break. I'd have a nervous breakdown.  

[OysterPrintout]

At least everything is covered white here albeit ice pellets 

[KingstonWX]

Friend of mine reporting rain now in Olympia, up on the hill across from the capitol. Presumably he's describing freezing rain and doesn't realize it. 

[Perturbed Member]

Back to pretty much all sleet again. Must be some wetbulbing above. 19.5F here. I expect the WAA aloft will eventually push things back to all ZR later tonight. 

The street is white at least.