September 2017 PNW Discussion Thread

[TT-SEA]

Definitely looking like fall... 

 

 

 

We just picked all of this in the last 20 minutes... we are getting hauls like this almost daily.   Endless production from the garden at this time of year.     

[Phil]

Now the GFS has that southwest-cutting trough. Only thing I can think of that would cause that is exhaust from SW Atlantic convection beefing up the anticyclone over the Eastern US as the trough attempts to progress east.

[Phil]

Definitely looking like fall...

 

 

 

We just picked all of this in the last 20 minutes... we are getting hauls like this almost daily. Endless production from the garden at this time of year.

You have the same fridge we do.

[Front Ranger]

PDX already 5 degrees off their high at 6 pm. Don't see that in August!!

[High Desert Mat!]

Jesse, correct me if I'm wrong, but don't fall colors and the growing season have more to do with time of daylight and angle compared to temperature? I know they both impact but I thought it was more light to darkness.

[TT-SEA]

Jesse, correct me if I'm wrong, but don't fall colors and the growing season have more to do with time of daylight and angle compared to temperature? I know they both impact but I thought it was more light to darkness.

 

Definitely related to daylight overall... but weather can accelerate/enhance or slow/mute the process.  

[wx_statman]

88 was the final number at OLM today.

 

89 up at Whidbey Island.

[Front Ranger]

88 was the final number at OLM today.

 

89 up at Whidbey Island.

 

Arlington hit 89 as well. Too bad their records are all f*ucked up, but I doubt they've legitimately been that warm this late before.

[Jesse]

Definitely related to daylight overall... but weather can accelerate/enhance or slow/mute the process.

I think solid rainy periods interspread with sunny days/cold nights can lead to the most vibrant colors overall. Too warm and dry and the leaves just sort of turn brown and wither up. Too warm and wet and they stay green forever and almost start to rot on the tree before falling off. Just my own observations.

[Jesse]

Jesse, correct me if I'm wrong, but don't fall colors and the growing season have more to do with time of daylight and angle compared to temperature? I know they both impact but I thought it was more light to darkness.

Yes, light to darkness will always be the main driver. As the days get shorter the leaves will gradually fall off eventually. But quality and duration of color seems to depend a lot on weather conditions as well.

[Deweydog]

Starting to look like October might be starting soon. Phil?

[TT-SEA]

I think solid rainy periods interspread with sunny days/cold nights can lead to the most vibrant colors overall. Too warm and dry and the leaves just sort of turn brown and wither up. Too warm and wet and they stay green forever and almost start to rot on the tree before falling off. Just my own observations.

 

Yeah... so far it seems like we have had a good combination this year.   

 

I also wonder if an early or late spring has an effect.   The trees are looking so much better this year compared to last year despite this summer being warmer and drier and I wonder if its related to a late start this year.

[Front Ranger]

Starting to look like October might be starting soon. Phil?

 

Can't believe no one has started a thread yet. 

[Front Ranger]

Yeah... so far it seems like we have had a good combination this year.   

 

I also wonder if an early or late spring has an effect.   The trees are looking so much better this year compared to last year despite this summer being warmer and drier and I wonder if its related to a late start this year.

 

Late spring was pretty darn normal/warmish, though.

[TT-SEA]

Late spring was pretty darn normal/warmish, though.

 

But they definitely had a much later start this year so maybe they are able to last longer in the fall compared to last year.

[wx_statman]

Arlington hit 89 as well. Too bad their records are all f*ucked up, but I doubt they've legitimately been that warm this late before.

 

You might be right. They did hit 87 on 10/9/1934 during one of the stretches they were actually recording, but I doubt they've seen 89 this late.

[Front Ranger]

You might be right. They did hit 87 on 10/9/1934 during one of the stretches they were actually recording, but I doubt they've seen 89 this late.

 

Yeah, that's pretty crazy, too. Has to be one of the more impressive early fall heat spells for the area.

[Front Ranger]

PDX down to 77, and has probably touched 80 for the last time in 2017.

 

#summerover

[BLI snowman]

Arlington hit 89 as well. Too bad their records are all f*ucked up, but I doubt they've legitimately been that warm this late before.

 

Warmer than they were with the historic, overpowering, everlasting gobstopper death ridge early this month.

[Jesse]

PDX down to 77, and has probably touched 80 for the last time in 2017.

 

#summerover

Summer ended close to a month ago.

[Front Ranger]

Summer ended close to a month ago.

 

Meteorologically, yes. Seasonally, a week ago.

 

Weather-wise, I always consider the last 80+ day as the end of summer. Since we're being literal. 

[wx_statman]

Yeah, that's pretty crazy, too. Has to be one of the more impressive early fall heat spells for the area.

 

That and 1936, on basically the same days. We've never really matched either 1934 or 1936 for lateness and greatness, although 1991 came very close.

[Jesse]

Meteorologically, yes. Seasonally, a week ago.

 

Weather-wise, I always consider the last 80+ day as the end of summer. Since we're being literal.

Very long summer in 2003 then.

[TT-SEA]

Meteorologically, yes. Seasonally, a week ago.

 

Weather-wise, I always consider the last 80+ day as the end of summer. Since we're being literal. 

 

That is not a good gauge.

 

We could have a cold September and then one 80-degree day in between cold troughs in the middle of October.   That would not be the end of summer but an isolated warm spike during a cold fall.  

[Front Ranger]

That is not a good gauge.

 

We could have a cold September and then one 80-degree day in between cold troughs in the middle of October.   That would not be the end of summer but an isolated warm spike during a cold fall.  

 

[Jesse]

mj9k6.jpg

 

New avatar/sig?

[BLI snowman]

That is not a good gauge.

 

We could have a cold September and then one 80-degree day in between cold troughs in the middle of October.   That would not be the end of summer but an isolated warm spike during a cold fall.  

 

1996 was a good example of that. Cool September and cool/wet October, but it had one quick heat spike in the 2nd week of October that produced widespread 80s. Summer basically ended in late August that year though.

[VancouverIslandSouth]

Hippa Island looks like the place to be right now, the fire danger in this area is riding high.

 

http://bcfireinfo.for.gov.bc.ca/Weather/Maps/dr.png

[Kayla]

Looks like the LR ensembles want to keep troughing centered over the Northern Rockies. May end up as a very impressive cold stretch for that region.

 

14dTDeptUS.png

 

It's definitely been chilly! Next week looks just downright cold for this area with lows dropping into the teens. 

 

West Yellowstone was 21 this morning so the cold has definitely arrived early this year.

[TT-SEA]

Hippa Island looks like the place to be right now, the fire danger in this area is riding high.

 

 

 

 

[VancouverIslandSouth]

Interesting fog pattern over the Strait of Georgia yesterday. You can see it streaming down the Strait from the NW and getting caught up between the islands and again at the Fraser delta.

 

 

 

 

This is how it looked at the shorline:

 

[Front Ranger]

New avatar/sig?

 

It's a striking resemblance.

[Phil]

Jesse, correct me if I'm wrong, but don't fall colors and the growing season have more to do with time of daylight and angle compared to temperature? I know they both impact but I thought it was more light to darkness.

Temperature and relative humidity are very important. Places in the mountains (just 50 miles west of here) are nearing peak fall color, while our trees are still mostly green.

 

Obviously, there's very little difference in sunlight over such a short distance.

[Phil]

I think solid rainy periods interspread with sunny days/cold nights can lead to the most vibrant colors overall. Too warm and dry and the leaves just sort of turn brown and wither up. Too warm and wet and they stay green forever and almost start to rot on the tree before falling off. Just my own observations.

I've also noticed the best color seems to occur in autumns with consistent diurnal variability (cool nights/warm days). The more humid/rainy autumns usually disappoint here.

[Phil]

That and 1936, on basically the same days. We've never really matched either 1934 or 1936 for lateness and greatness, although 1991 came very close.

The more I look back at the decade of the 1930s, the more I can appreciate how incredible it was in the heatwave department.

 

Many of those records are still standing today. The great heatwave of 1930 is still the big mama in this area..we haven't come close to beating it.

[Phil]

[Phil]

Why do you hate Hippa Island so much? It's basically an extension of your backyard.

[TT-SEA]

Why do you hate Hippa Island so much? It's basically an extension of your backyard.

 

?

 

My response was related to the Victoria crippling drought talk.   

[Phil]

?

 

My response was related to the Victoria crippling drought talk.

Ah, missed that.

[wx_statman]

The more I look back at the decade of the 1930s, the more I can appreciate how incredible it was in the heatwave department.

 

Many of those records are still standing today. The great heatwave of 1930 is still the big mama in this area..we haven't come close to beating it.

 

I would extend that even further, to the 1920s-1940s. The world was full of really impressive heat waves during that time (and really impressive cold waves as well). I see it everywhere I look when I trawl for weather records.