March in the Pacific Northwest

[snow_wizard]

Winter may be done for me already even though I live in the mountains. Its just been raining, and having lows well above freezing. With the weather I've seen this past week, I just might officially call this Spring. Ended with 8.80" of snow this season, also ended last winter with 15.0". Both well below normal.

 

This winter turned out to be quite a loser for the West for southern Oregon southward alright.  The Arctic outbreaks only hit the northern areas before plunging into the Plains.

[Timmy Supercell]

This winter turned out to be quite a loser for the West for southern Oregon southward alright.  The Arctic outbreaks only hit the northern areas before plunging into the Plains.

 

I only had the December Arctic blast.

 

Well I had a few lower teens for lows on the 4th and 5th of February but up here at this elevation I wouldn't define that arctic necessarily. My highs were still above freezing. Very easy to achieve highs around freezing in the winter at my place. 

[brody]

I'm courius as to what the spring and summer weather looked like out here during the little ice age.

Chilly?

[Tyler Mode]

February 2014 in Battle Ground (Minnehaha)

 

Highest High: 59.1, 28th (59.7, 28th)
Lowest Low: 18.5, 6th (19.4, 7th)
Highest Wind: ESE 38, 16th+17th (SE 42, 17th)
Most Precip: 1.39, 17th (1.29", 17th)

Total Precip: 5.08" (5.50")

Avg High: 45.4 (46.1)
Avg Low: 33.1 (33.8)
Mean: 39.2 (39.9)

[SilverFallsAndrew]

Winter may be done for me already even though I live in the mountains. Its just been raining, and having lows well above freezing. With the weather I've seen this past week, I just might officially call this Spring. Ended with 8.80" of snow this season, also ended last winter with 15.0". Both well below normal.

 

You can get accumulating snow well in to May down there so you may get a few more inches yet.

[Timmy Supercell]

You can get accumulating snow well in to May down there so you may get a few more inches yet.

 

Sporadically throughout Spring, maybe a couple times. But my Winter "season" looks done for. I've seen snow in late April/May before but usually sandwiched between warm periods.

 

Last year I was fortunate enough not to see any accumulating Spring snowfall.

[Jesse]

You can get accumulating snow well in to May down there so you may get a few more inches yet.

I don't think this will comfort him. Timmy hates winter/cold weather. I think he would be pretty content if Klamath Falls had a Florida-like climate year round, complete with severe thunderstorms and landfalling hurricanes.

[Timmy Supercell]

I don't think this will comfort him. Timmy hates winter. I think he would be pretty content if Klamath Falls had a Florida-like climate year round, complete with severe thunderstorms and landfalling hurricanes.

 

Pretty much, minus the Florida part. Some place that has cooler lows, lower humidity, but then regularly get t'storms and nearly no winter.

[Jesse]

Pretty much, minus the Florida part. Some place that has cooler lows, lower humidity, but then regularly get t'storms and nearly no winter.

That's a toughy. Maybe the Texas Gulf coast?

[Timmy Supercell]

That's a toughy. Maybe the Texas Gulf coast?

 

That might be the place! 

[Weather101]

Rain/snow mix at my house

[HighlandExperience]

Rain/snow mix at my house

 

Cold air so close, yet so far.

 

http://www.atmos.washington.edu/mm5rt/data/current_extended/images_d2/slp.03.0000.gif

[Weather101]

Cold air so close, yet so far.

 

http://www.atmos.washington.edu/mm5rt/data/current_extended/images_d2/slp.03.0000.gif

Wow.... Could have seen some good snow if the cold air was over us...

 

36F and wet snow

[MossMan]

Cold air so close, yet so far.

 

http://www.atmos.washington.edu/mm5rt/data/current_extended/images_d2/slp.03.0000.gif

We really need to get that arctic air a "Good To Go Pass" Apparently the good stuff is not allowed to cross the border looking at that map We need a deep low to pass straight into the Oregon/Wa border to draw that good air down!

[TT-SEA]

Cold air so close, yet so far.

 

http://www.atmos.washington.edu/mm5rt/data/current_extended/images_d2/slp.03.0000.gif

 

That is why its so wet this week.

 

Get that cold air out of here.

 

PDX is on a 60-degree roll... second day in a row.

[Jesse]

That is why its so wet this week.

 

Get that cold air out of here.

 

PDX is on a 60-degree roll... second day in a row.

Finally warming up out here too. Up to 52 so far today, the snow is vanishing quickly now, even up here in Carson.

 

I don't think the cold air is to blame for the rain. More a case of the warm air winning out. If that cold ULL were about 400 miles south out weather would be much drier (and snowier in spots) as a whole.

[TT-SEA]

Finally warming up out here too. Up to 52 so far today, the snow is vanishing quickly now, even up here in Carson.

 

I don't think the cold air is to blame for the rain. More a case of the warm air winning out. If that cold ULL were about 400 miles south out weather would be much drier (and snowier in spots) as a whole.

 

 

Sure... if the cold was farther south it would be drier.    

 

But that was not to be the case this time around.   And having that tight thermal gradient is making for tons of rain in between and creating the perfect path for storms to follow this week.

 

Next week should be better without that cold air parked to the north... even if there are systems coming through.

[TheBigOne]

60s and muggy for this time of the year.  Hope this isn't going to be like last summer where here and other spots south of Portland were sticky from late July onwards.   August was brutal with  constant dewpoints at or above 60F which normal dew points are low 50s to upper 40s.     It finally did a sneak attack in late August striking Portland and they felt what we felt a good chunk of that summer.

 

Not only that but last summer Salem had more then twice the amount of 90F days then usual while Portland was quite cool so nobody believed those who said it was hotter down here until Portland got in on the humid spell then they all acted shocked and whined like a bunch of hypocrites about it

 

The worst of it  down here was during the fires from Southern Oregon in which the afternoons and evenings was smoke filled so you couldn't even open the windows without you're eyes being bothered.  Thank goodness for eye drops!

 

 

  The mornings HOWEVER most of the summer were unusually pleasant until about 11am and then the humidity crept in usually with high clouds blocking the sun out at times but like I just said the mornings were like a piece of heaven on earth.      I actually became a morning person because of it!

 

 

The NWS almost everyday in August and part of September was off by  5-10 degrees on the forecast by being too *cool*.  They wouldsay the high would be only 83F if we are lucky but by afternoon it would be 93F and sticky making them look bad.      

 

September was just as bad including the failed forecasts until the awesome thunderstorms!     South of Salem got hit the hardest from the outbreak from storm spotter reports I've read.   

 

Now it's in the 60s and partly sunny.   I am not sure which part but part of it is sunny!.     

 

The internet and landline phone both went down just an hour ago for no reason at all and just came back on a few minutes ago.     Lately we have been having weird internet and phone outages but our company is pretty good at getting it back on quick.

[TheBigOne]

Pretty much, minus the Florida part. Some place that has cooler lows, lower humidity, but then regularly get t'storms and nearly no winter.

Salt Lake City or one of the higher neighborhoods around it that's off the valley floor?   They get cooler lows except during a heatwave when they go into the 70s at night and often in the winter creep into the 50s (daytime)without the constant drizzle we all moan about in between snow events so you will have a week of 50s and in extreme cases even 60s before the next snow event comes in!

 

The snowfall is not as often as you would think and they are PROS at keeping everything plowed.   They never shut things down in Utah for snow unless a rare 2 footer happen at once and that has to be falling in the morning hours or otherwise business as usual!!!.  

 

Just for suggesting things to close and they will laugh you out of the state!!

[Brennan]

Raw day in Bellingham today. High of 40 with rain throughout. Been stuck in the 38-39 range most of the day. 

[TT-SEA]

Every GFS ensemble member shows fairly good ridging over us in a week.     Would be pretty nice weather... and great skiing.   Its been hard to enjoy all the snow in the mountains because the precipitation never ends.

 

http://mp1.met.psu.edu/~fxg1/ENSHGT_18z/f180.gif

[chinook]

 

The internet and landline phone both went down just an hour ago for no reason at all and just came back on a few minutes ago.     Lately we have been having weird internet and phone outages but our company is pretty good at getting it back on quick.

 

thanks.

[TT-SEA]

Hoping for good skiing later next week and next weekend... we are heading to Silver Mountain in Idaho.    Gondola right from the lobby and a huge waterpark to keep the kids entertained in the evenings.    We went last year and it was great... never waited in a lift line once in 4 days.     I highly recommend it for families.

 

http://www.silvermt.com/

[BLI snowman]

Raw day in Bellingham today. High of 40 with rain throughout. Been stuck in the 38-39 range most of the day. 

 

Definitely jealous of the rest of the forum today. Portland at 61 and Seattle at 57, totally different worlds.

[TT-SEA]

Definitely jealous of the rest of the forum today. Portland at 61 and Seattle at 57, totally different worlds.

 

 

High of 62 at PDX today.

 

Looks like the next 3 days will be close to 60 at SEA and PDX even with the waves of rain.   

 

Watch out... trees are going to start flowering even more.   

[epiceast]

Every GFS ensemble member shows fairly good ridging over us in a week.     Would be pretty nice weather... and great skiing.   Its been hard to enjoy all the snow in the mountains because the precipitation never ends.

 

http://mp1.met.psu.edu/~fxg1/ENSHGT_18z/f180.gif

Not true... today was really deep(although only top 6 inches weren't concrete), and I heard that Sunday had the lightest snow this year.

[TT-SEA]

Not true... today was really deep(although only top 6 inches weren't concrete), and I heard that Sunday had the lightest snow this year.

 

Roads were a total mess on Sunday... we were going to go but it was ice rink here.

 

So yes... its been hard to enjoy the snow because the precipitation never ends.

 

Give me a couple sunny days on the slopes!   

[epiceast]

Roads were a total mess on Sunday... we were going to go but it was ice rink here.

 

So yes... its been hard to enjoy the snow because the precipitation never ends.

 

Give me a couple sunny days on the slopes!   

Risky bet in early March. Nothing against sun as long as it unlocks the snow and we get one  of those great pnw corn cycles... Often times it will be just boilerplate snow with a couple of sunny days fighting the fog during a ridge. I'd rather have the yo-yoing snow level of past week where it rains one day and snows the next.

[TT-SEA]

Risky bet in early March. Nothing against sun as long as it unlocks the snow and we get one  of those great pnw corn cycles... Often times it will be just boilerplate snow with a couple of sunny days fighting the fog during a ridge. I'd rather have the yo-yoing snow level of past week where it rains one day and snows the next.

 

I hate skiing in the fog and precipitation... you end up soaking wet and can't see anything.   Waste of money and time.

 

I don't think there would be much fog at this point in the year under a ridge like is shown next week.

[Jesse]

High of 62 at PDX today.

 

Looks like the next 3 days will be close to 60 at SEA and PDX even with the waves of rain.   

 

Watch out... trees are going to start flowering even more.   

 

Bring it on. Early March is when they should be flowering. That is pretty normal.

 

Daffodils were blooming in Ilwaco this weekend. The coast is a few weeks ahead of us.

[TT-SEA]

Bring it on. Early March is when they should be flowering. That is pretty normal.

 

Daffodils were blooming in Ilwaco this weekend. The coast is a few weeks ahead of us.

 

Our daffodils are just itching to open up.   Saturday is my guess.

[Parksvillewx]

Wet snow all day here today.  Only had a high of 37F

[snow_wizard]

This pattern royally sucks.  No question whatever drought we had is done.

 

It just drives me crazy how close that cold air is to us in BC.  Just nothing to drive it southward.

[seattleweatherguy]

This pattern royally sucks.  No question whatever drought we had is done.

 

It just drives me crazy how close that cold air is to us in BC.  Just nothing to drive it southward.

We can blame the cascades?

[snow_wizard]

We can blame the cascades?

 

 

Not this time because the cold is straight north of us.  Even a modest ridge off the coast would be enough to drive it down here.

[Poulsbo Snowman]

We can blame the cascades?

Blame the border.  No Visa, no cold.

[snow_wizard]

The ECMWF ensemble agrees with the GFS in showing rising heights over the GOA later in the month.  A cooler and drier pattern.  I sure hope it happens because the current pattern is awful.

[TT-SEA]

It has rained on 24 out of the last 27 days at SEA.

 

Mountains are absolutely buried in snow.

 

Yeah... some drier more pleasant weather would be nice about now.    We have to wait another week though.

[HighlandExperience]

It has rained on 24 out of the last 27 days at SEA.

 

Mountains are absolutely buried in snow.

 

Yeah... some drier more pleasant weather would be nice about now.    We have to wait another week though.

 

Seems like proof to me that things do "balance" themselves out.  

[Poulsbo Snowman]

It has rained on 24 out of the last 27 days at SEA.

 

Mountains are absolutely buried in snow.

 

Yeah... some drier more pleasant weather would be nice about now.    We have to wait another week though.

 

I could absolutely wait for at least another month or so.