April Weather in the Pacific Northwest

[ShawniganLake]

Partly cloudy with a few showers here. Overall not bad but pretty windy. Gusting to about 30mph. I saw a few 40-45mph gusts reported in Victoria.

[MossMan]

Nice day! Poured for a few hours this morning and then dry and breezy.

[stuffradio]

Got .25 of rain today. It's been partly to mostly sunny this afternoon.

[El Nina]

Actually looks like Andrew might still be getting showers on the back side of the frontal band... disaster averted!  

 

I assume they are setting up cooling centers around Portland to give people a place to escape the steamy conditions.   If you strenuously exercise and run for miles then you might get warm and even produce sweat.   This climate is way too hot and humid.

 

You're something else.

[TT-SEA]

You're something else.

 

 

[TT-SEA]

Made it up to 60 at SEA.  

[Jesse]

Made it up to 60 at SEA.

About 15 degrees above normal if my calculations are correct.

[TT-SEA]

About 15 degrees above normal if my calculations are correct.

 

Your calculations are surprisingly incorrect.   It was 3 degrees above normal.

[Jesse]

Your calculations are surprisingly incorrect. It was 3 degrees above normal.

i cant do math

[SilverFallsAndrew]

I told Andrew over the weekend that Tuesday afternoon might get annoying mild and dry.

It rained a lot in Salem around 2p

[SilverFallsAndrew]

Raining at my house right now. Sorry Tim.

[TT-SEA]

It rained a lot in Salem around 2p

 

We had a huge downpour here in the early afternoon as the last band of precip moved through... the sun came out while it was still raining and made for quite a classic April scene.  

[TT-SEA]

Raining at my house right now. Sorry Tim.

 

Its OK... its been dry here for hours now so we are both happy.  

[El Nina]

I love listening to rain hit the roof of the car while having the heat on and feeling all relaxed. It's a really great pre work ritual. Helps my overall mood and performance all day.

[Front Ranger]

Its become quite a nice afternoon after getting another .50 in rain this morning.   Lots of sun now and very little wind here.

 

Fortunately, the stats will show a WET (miserable) day. And stats never lie.

 

[TT-SEA]

Fortunately, the stats will show a WET (miserable) day. And stats never lie.

 

Screenshot_1.png

 

Not all rainy days are created equal.   On many days that nice hole in the clouds stays right over Seattle and everywhere else is wet.   Today was a decent "rainy day" with a clearly defined front and no c-zone because the front was moving off to the northeast.    Actually the c-zone was between Mt. Vernon and Bellingham for a good part of the day which makes sense given the direction of the front.  Not typical... but very nice when it happens.

[Front Ranger]

Not all rainy days are created equal.   On many days that nice hole in the clouds stays right over Seattle and everywhere else is wet.   Today was a decent "rainy day" with a clearly defined front and no c-zone because the front was moving off to the northeast.    Actually the c-zone was between Mt. Vernon and Bellingham for a good part of the day which makes sense given the direction of the front.

 

All true.

 

And a good number of the "rainy" days you cited over the past couple months for the area were actually fairly similar to today, with appreciable sun and only a few hours of rain.

 

Strangely spring-like.

[TT-SEA]

All true.

 

And a good number of the "rainy" days you cited over the past couple months for the area were actually fairly similar to today, with appreciable sun and only a few hours of rain.

 

Strangely spring-like.

 

There are always some days like that... but today featured unusually well defined clearing that was able to move all the way to the Cascades.    There is a specific direction the front has to move for this... and it does not happen very often.   Essentially... the area from Sequim to Mt. Vernon had what is normally between Everett to Snoqualmie/Stevens Pass.  

 

Today was definitely an April-like day.    Looks like some more of them coming up this weekend and next week as well.   

 

Even so... April also normally has 12 dry days.   We have had 2 so far.   We can do even better than this!  

[Timmy Supercell]

Had a hailstorm moments ago. Pea sized. I thought there was gonna be thunder and lightning but none so far.

[Front Ranger]

There are always some days like that... but today featured unusually well defined clearing that was able to move all the way to the Cascades.    There is a specific direction the front has to move for this... and it does not happen very often.   Essentially... the area from Sequim to Mt. Vernon had what is normally between Everett to Snoqualmie/Stevens Pass.  

 

Today was definitely an April-like day.    Looks like some more of them coming up this weekend and next week as well.   

 

Even so... April also normally has 12 dry days.   We have 2 so far.   We can do even better than this!  

 

Sure. My point to you before was that not all "wet" days are created equal, the stats don't tell the whole story - plus, it's very easy to cherry pick stats. 

 

So we agree. 

[TT-SEA]

Sure. My point to you before was that not all "wet" days are created equal, the stats don't tell the whole story - plus, it's very easy to cherry pick stats. 

 

So we agree. 

 

Pointing out unusually persistent wet patterns is not cherry picking.   I only do this when the number of rainy days far exceeds even our rainy normal which has been the case so far in 2018 to the north and east of Seattle.

 

I never said that all of those days were non-stop washouts.   Only that the persistence of rainy days has been unusual.   

 

That being said... I want my 10 additional dry days this April that I am owed! 

 

We had 2 last April.    So the debt towards normal is building up.   I am owed 10 days from last year so we should be done for the next 20 days!    

 

(I realize the long term average is over many years and it does not work that way... and I am joking here)

[Jesse]

[TT-SEA]

Actually we are probably still paying back April 2016.    The most beautiful April ever created. 

 

We had 10 extra dry days that month.   Although we did pay that back last year.    We're even now!    

[bainbridgekid]

I noticed thicknesses never get above 542 over the next 14 days on the 18z GFS.

 

Pretty persistently troughy pattern coming up.

[TT-SEA]

I noticed thicknesses never get above 542 over the next 14 days on the 18z GFS.

 

Pretty persistently troughy pattern coming up.

 

Yeah... no real warm weather in sight.    

[SilverFallsAndrew]

Glad you got sun today Tim. Currently raining again and closing in on half an inch on the day.

[TT-SEA]

Glad you got sun today Tim. Currently raining again and closing in on half an inch on the day.

 

I got my half an inch completed and in the books earlier.

[Front Ranger]

Pointing out unusually persistent wet patterns is not cherry picking.   I only do this when the number of rainy days far exceeds even our rainy normal which has been the case so far in 2018 to the north and east of Seattle.

 

I never said that all of those days were non-stop washouts.   Only that the persistence of rainy days has been unusual.   

 

That being said... I want my 10 additional dry days this April that I am owed! 

 

We had 2 last April.    So the debt towards normal is building up.   I am owed 10 days from last year so we should be done for the next 20 days!    

 

(I realize the long term average is over many years and it does not work that way... and I am joking here)

 

SEA has seen a lot more dry days, way less hours of rain, way less total rain, and way more sunshine this Feb-Apr compared to last year. It may not be exactly what you want, but it's been an improvement.

 

Yes, I know you don't live at SEA, but again that's the station you most often cite for rain stats.

[TT-SEA]

SEA has seen a lot more dry days, way less hours of rain, way less total rain, and way more sunshine this Feb-Apr compared to last year. It may not be exactly what you want, but it's been an improvement.

 

Yes, I know you don't live at SEA, but again that's the station you most often cite for rain stats.

 

I have acknowledged many times that SEA has been much better recently... persistent warm fronts favor the area to the north and east of Seattle.    But I am also looking at the normal number of dry days out here compared to what has happened out here.  

 

For much of the last 4 years... SEA has been as ridiculously wet as all of King County so they are an easy station to use to illustrate that.    Randy and I have been in the unusually wet zone this year... compared to our normal.  

[Kayla]

Who do we talk to about renaming the forum "thetimforums.com"?

[Frontal Snowsquall]

Ask Phil! He lived the life up there!

Looks like the closest town up there is a ghost town. So doubtful anybody lived there in our era.

[MossMan]

Got the mowing done after work today! Lovely day!

[HighlandExperience]

Who do we talk to about renaming the forum "thetimforums.com"?

This forum should be named life in north bend.

[TT-SEA]

Pattern across the Pacific looks quieter at the end of the ECMWF run... 

 

 

 

Still an impressive amount of snow across the country over the next 10 days... although Phil might be finally done!

 

[TigerWoodsLibido]

And here’s that higher resolution map of 2017/18 seasonal snowfall, including a zoomed in portion of the PNW:

 

 

Hadn't paid attention to the fact that the Columbia Basin got screwed this year too. We typically don't do well here unless they have a lot.

[TT-SEA]

Today we flip the script... sunny morning and rainy afternoon.    I prefer the other way around.  

 

Lilac is leafing out now...

 

[Jesse]

What filter do you use to get the colors to look so vibrant Tim?

[TT-SEA]

What filter do you use to get the colors to look so vibrant Tim?

 

That is straight up using my Galaxy... early morning sun does make for brilliant colors.   All the 'effects' are just strange like grayscale or black and white or sepia.   There is one to 'sharpen' which I have never used.

 

My son does say he prefers the iPhone camera.

[Phil]

Still an impressive amount of snow across the country over the next 10 days... although Phil might be finally done!

 

The swamp box even makes a brief appearance. We’ll probably be roasting in 6 weeks.

 

[TT-SEA]

Here is the 'negative' effect... blue sky becomes orange!