April Weather in the Pacific Northwest

[Jesse]

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.

Ah. Yeah my fiancée’s mom has a Galaxy. I have noticed it has a bit of a tendency to oversaturate colors. I prefer my iPhone camera as well.

[TT-SEA]

The Midwest has some crazy weather.... look at that sharp line between hot and cold on Friday with no mountains or even hills between those air masses!

 

[Phil]

The Midwest has some crazy weather.... look at that sharp line between hot and cold on Friday with no mountains or even hills between those air masses!

 

I might want to live there if it weren’t so d**n flat.

[TT-SEA]

I might want to live there if it weren’t so d**n flat.

 

It would be fascinating to drive north or south through Iowa on Friday.   Nothing but flat farmland and it goes from the 80s to 40s in a matter of miles.  And the line holds tight for a long time.   

[TT-SEA]

12Z GFS and GEM shifted way south with the frontal band for Saturday.   Its actually nicer to the north now with the rain focused down south by afternoon.

[Jesse]

It would be fascinating to drive north or south through Iowa on Friday. Nothing but flat farmland and it goes from the 80s to 40s in a matter of miles. And the line holds tight for a long time.

That would be pretty cool to experience. I imagine there must be a boundary of some sort with precipitation? I haven’t looked at any models for out there so just shooting from the hip.

[Phil]

That would be pretty cool to experience. I imagine there must be a boundary of some sort with precipitation? I haven’t looked at any models for out there so just shooting from the hip.

Sometimes the squall line runs ahead of the front. Might depend on the synoptics in play.

 

We also get those sharp thermal boundaries, but mostly during the dead of winter. We had two of them this winter, and on the first occasion, it was accompanied by a heavy squall with hail and lightning that finished as snow. The second time it was a completely dry front, but extremely windy throughout.

[Jesse]

It looks like the western ridge for the first ten days of April actually verified pretty well. It just wasn’t very amplified.

 

[TT-SEA]

That would be pretty cool to experience. I imagine there must be a boundary of some sort with precipitation? I haven’t looked at any models for out there so just shooting from the hip.

 

 

Here is precip that afternoon...

 

 

 

And snowfall...

 

[Phil]

Though on second glance, that actually looks like a warm front over IA/WI. Which might not feature any precip along the surface thermal boundary, since the WAA precip would probably be further removed to the north.

 

Those are super-awesome. Cold-air-damming situations can do that, too. I think it was March 2014 where a late season CAD wedge had us stuck at 28*F with ZR while just south of the DC beltway it was 71*F and sunny.

[TT-SEA]

Though on second glance, that actually looks like a warm front over IA/WI. Which might not feature any precip along the surface thermal boundary, since the WAA precip would probably be further removed to the north.

 

Those are super-awesome. Cold-air-damming situations can do that, too. I think it was March 2014 where a late season CAD wedge had us stuck at 28*F with ZR while just south of the DC beltway it was 71*F and sunny.

 

Just fascinating there because Iowa and northern Illinois are truly flat.  

[Phil]

It looks like the western ridge for the first ten days of April actually verified pretty well. It just wasn’t very amplified.

 

096B9BE1-27B9-4F64-806C-DBB6801F8623.png

That big polar block/-NAM definitely overwhelmed the tropical forcing in your region. Squashed the ridge just enough to avoid sustained warmth.

 

If this was a 2014 solar max/NAO background state, you guys would have absolutely roasted, as this was one of the strongest intraseasonal Niño/WHEM forcing waves in memory. Amazing to see it thwarted, to the extent it was.

[Jesse]

That big polar block/-NAM definitely overwhelmed the tropical forcing in your region. Squashed the ridge just enough to avoid sustained warmth.

 

If this was a 2014 solar max/NAO background state, you guys would have absolutely roasted, as this was one of the strongest intraseasonal Niño/WHEM forcing waves in memory. Amazing to see it thwarted, to the extent it was.

Yeah, it definitely got pretty squashed. Kept trying to build in but kept getting knocked down.

 

Are you seeing still seeing a generally cooler, troughier pattern for us the last 2/3 of April now? The models definitely look that way.

[Phil]

Yeah, it definitely got pretty squashed. Kept trying to build in but kept getting knocked down.

 

Are you seeing still seeing a generally cooler, troughier pattern for us the last 2/3 of April now? The models definitely look that way.

Yeah, Niña-like tropical forcing/western troughing continues until the last few days of the month, then it backs off from there until the middle of May, then the EHEM monsoonal forcing kicks into gear with a positive EHEM -> WHEM z-cell intensity gradient, so a western trough/eastern ridge regime probably develops again during the third week of May (which I’m personally rooting against..sorry. ).

[Phil]

Took these on my quick drive to the public mailbox. It’s just on my street, so didn’t reach the best trees (which line the streets in the older part of the neighborhood).

 

Bad quality due to the glass and autofocus, but it’s the best I can do for now.

 

 

 

[Phil]

Lol, just a “touch” humid by swamp standards. Imagine the Seattle AFD saying something like this:

 

Southerly flow will continue to advect moisture into the region and reinforce the warm airmass that will already be in place. Surface dewpoints will climb into the low to mid 60s, making it feel a touch humid. With the higher levels of moisture in place, skies will be mostly cloudy on Sunday.

[MossMan]

12Z GFS and GEM shifted way south with the frontal band for Saturday. Its actually nicer to the north now with the rain focused down south by afternoon.

That is great news! I could really use a dry weekends for the next two!

[Phil]

Looks like the final warming will occur on April 13th.

 

At that point, the polar stratosphere will transition into its anticyclonic summer circulation, which will continue until the late August - early/mid September timeframe.

 

http://www.atmos.albany.edu/student/hattard/realtime/u_65N_10hpa_gefs.png

 

http://www.atmos.albany.edu/student/hattard/realtime/u_65N_10hpa.png

[Geos]

The Midwest has some crazy weather.... look at that sharp line between hot and cold on Friday with no mountains or even hills between those air masses!

 

 

That's very common in the spring. The cold Great Lakes stall warm fronts on their journey northward in the spring.

[jcmcgaffey]

Here is a poll on Northwesterns thoughts on our rainy weather. http://komonews.com/weather/scotts-weather-blog/poll-73-percent-of-northwesterners-like-the-weather-around-here

[Jesse]

Here is a poll on Northwesterns thoughts on our rainy weather. http://komonews.com/weather/scotts-weather-blog/poll-73-percent-of-northwesterners-like-the-weather-around-here

Tim’s going to be quoting the out of the summer stuff. But it’s important to note that a plurality said they didn’t mind the rain.

[TT-SEA]

Tim’s going to be quoting the s**t out of the summer stuff. But it’s important to note that a plurality said they didn’t mind the rain.

 

 

General theme seems to be that we tolerate winter and live for our gorgeous summers.   I agree.   I have said that many times.   

 

Remember... we love it here too. 

[Guest happ]

That's very common in the spring. The cold Great Lakes stall warm fronts on their journey northward in the spring.

 

"Xanto" 

[Jesse]

General theme seems to be that we tolerate winter and live for summer. I agree. I have said that many times.

 

Remember... we love it here too.

That’s how the author spins it because it seems like he feels that way. But when the poll was taken it just asked how people felt about the rain.

 

It seems pretty silly to live somewhere where you absolutely detest climo 10 months out of the year just for two months that you like. I’m sure you and Randy are outliers there. Pretty hard to imagine a region of millions of people (and growing) who all feel that way. If that’s true then that’s pretty sad.

[Guest happ]

That’s how the author spins it because it seems like he feels that way. But when the poll was taken it just asked how people felt about the rain.

 

It seems pretty silly to live somewhere where you absolutely detest climo 10 months out of the year just for two months that you like. I’m sure you and Randy are outliers there. Pretty hard to imagine a region of millions of people (and growing) who all feel that way. If that’s true then that’s pretty sad.

"Xanto"

[Phil]

The 12z EPS maintains the Niña-esque circulation over the Pacific through the d5-10 & d10-15 periods:

 

 

[TT-SEA]

That’s how the author spins it because it seems like he feels that way. But when the poll was taken it just asked how people felt about the rain.

 

It seems pretty silly to live somewhere where you absolutely detest climo 10 months out of the year just for two months that you like. I’m sure you and Randy are outliers there. Pretty hard to imagine a region of millions of people (and growing) who all feel that way. If that’s true then that’s pretty sad.

 

Scott Sistek is the author... he is the 'Jesse' of KOMO news.    He loves rain and hates warmth.   

 

And I don't detest the weather for 10 months.    

 

But I do complain when its much more persistently wet than usual as was the case in 2015-16 and in the spring of 2017.     And that is how April 2018 is playing out as well.  

 

You never acknowledge that.  

[Jesse]

Today’s front has been a pretty big disappointment so far.

[Geos]

Was decent this morning but now with light rain. I was in the Midwest for 4 days and it was brown and cold as it is in February. Was not green at all. Came back yesterday and it felt so balmy - and noticed the leaves are really coming out now on the shrubs and small trees. 

[MossMan]

Scott Sistek is the author... he is the 'Jesse' of KOMO news. He loves rain and hates warmth.

 

And I don't detest the weather for 10 months.

 

But I do complain when its much more persistently wet than usual as was the case in 2015-16 and in the spring of 2017. And that is how April 2018 is playing out as well.

 

You never acknowledge that.

I don’t detest the weather 10 months out of the year either, not sure where Jesse got that one. April is my least favorite month and I get tired of days where it rains non stop from sun up to sun down like we have had several of lately. Yesterday was fantastic and even today was great. Yesterday was rain in the morning and sun by noon, and today it was partly sunny and breezy up until the rain started an hour ago. I enjoy days like this in April!

[SilverFallsAndrew]

Down to 44 with rain and Eugene. Chilly

[Deweydog]

Today’s front has been a pretty big disappointment so far.

Sky got disturbingly bright there for a while.

[Geos]

Solar sunspot count pretty much at rock bottom now.

 

[MossMan]

Solar sunspot count pretty much at rock bottom now.

 

http://services.swpc.noaa.gov/images/solar-cycle-sunspot-number.gif

Hopefully that bodes well for next winter!

[Frontal Snowsquall]

The new ECMWF seasonals just came out. Lots of ridging from May to October. Ridging dominates every month with it being directly overhead or close by. Looks like it will be dry as well. I'll post maps when I get home tonight.

[El Nina]

The new ECMWF seasonals just came out. Lots of ridging from May to October. Ridging dominates every month with it being directly overhead or close by. Looks like it will be dry as well. I'll post maps when I get home tonight.

Thank God

[Deweydog]

The new ECMWF seasonals just came out. Lots of ridging from May to October. Ridging dominates every month with it being directly overhead or close by. Looks like it will be dry as well. I'll post maps when I get home tonight.

[TigerWoodsLibido]

Down to 44 with rain and Eugene. Chilly

Gonna be at Putter's playing some mini golf with the missus later. You should come by and I'll show you my jersey collection.

[TigerWoodsLibido]

Solar sunspot count pretty much at rock bottom now.

 

http://services.swpc.noaa.gov/images/solar-cycle-sunspot-number.gif

It's an 8-9 winter. 98-99 had a very cold arctic outbreak with a bit of snow and 08-09 is a legend. Didn't live here for 88-89 but I hear it got good in Feb. Plus we rarely have 2 straight winters with 1" or less of snow here.

[El Nina]

Snowing in Klamath Falls.