PNW February 2023 Weather Discussion - Meteorological winter finale

[Doinko]

Just now, Cold Snap said:

Portland is absolutely scoring big! This is such a great way to break the snow drought down there!

Only 2" on this side of the metro area. Still snowing though

[Cold Snap]

Wasn’t really a surprise snowfall if you were tracking the models. 

[VancouverIslandSouth]

Finally, some decent snowfall rates making it to the surface around Victoria, just checked and most surfaces are coated now: 

[KingstonWX]

Snowing pretty good here now. Temp is at 30. We'll see how long this can last. 

[SilverFallsAndrew]

Incredible snow event for PDX. Looks like it’s winding down now. Hopefully we can see a few other places score overnight. Excited to see what we can do with lows the next few nights. 

[Perturbed Member]

Just now, Doinko said:

Only 2" on this side of the metro area. Still snowing though

I've got a bit more than 2 inches so far as well. I think we've got a shot at getting several more inches. Doubtful that we'll end up with any of these crazy 10 in + stuff but the radar still shows plenty of precip rotating in off the coast to our south. 

Unlikely this will beat 2017 for me but I'm confident it will be the best event since 2017 here. 

[MillCreekMike]

I guess the way things will happen now is Portland will get the crazy big snowstorms and Seattle will get the more frequent but less impactful snowstorms based off the last two big snow events for Portland

[OysterPrintout]

WHAT an event. Huge overperformance for us at this location. Measured 5.5" of snow. Just incredible. 

 

[SilverFallsAndrew]

Some BC sliders in the long range. 

[Doinko]

1 minute ago, Perturbed Member said:

I've got a bit more than 2 inches so far as well. I think we've got a shot at getting several more inches. Doubtful that we'll end up with any of these crazy 10 in + stuff but the radar still shows plenty of precip rotating in off the coast to our south. 

Unlikely this will beat 2017 for me but I'm confident it will be the best event since 2017 here. 

Kind of forgot this was late February with the blowing snow and possible subfreezing high tomorrow

[OysterPrintout]

Massive prayers up for west-siders with the stuff coming on shore to the south. 

[BLI snowman]

14 minutes ago, Perturbed Member said:

@BLI snowman

Looks like better radar returns your way now. How is it looking?

Definitely picked up again, been steady light/moderate snow in the last hour. Nearing 3" now. Will have to see if something else fires up over the metro area as this band starts to exit or if this is it for awhile.

[SilverFallsAndrew]

The latest Hrrr drops massive snow amounts down the valley overnight. Corvallis would get buried. 

[Doinko]

2 minutes ago, BLI snowman said:

Definitely picked up again, been steady light/moderate snow in the last hour. Nearing 3" now. Will have to see if something else fires up over the metro area as this band starts to exit or if this is it for awhile.

Hope we can break the 6" mark here.

[Omegaraptor]

1 minute ago, SilverFallsAndrew said:

The latest Hrrr drops massive snow amounts down the valley overnight. Corvallis would get buried. 

C’MON!!!

Delayed but not denied!

[Gradient Keeper]

Long range Clownzville. Oh look, another cold trough.

[Rubus Leucodermis]

Snow has stopped here. 28.2˚F.

[FroYoBro]

1 minute ago, SilverFallsAndrew said:

The latest Hrrr drops massive snow amounts down the valley overnight. Corvallis would get buried. 

Oh wow. It actually shows another really good band coming through here after this one. 

[Eugene Snow]

2 minutes ago, SilverFallsAndrew said:

The latest Hrrr drops massive snow amounts down the valley overnight. Corvallis would get buried. 

Can you post please?

[Perturbed Member]

3 minutes ago, OysterPrintout said:

Massive prayers up for west-siders with the stuff coming on shore to the south. 

Thanks, we will need all the help we can get out this way. Hopefully we aren't out of juice already. 

[NWbyNW]

Down to 31F degrees.  Low is expected to be 24F. 

[MossMan]

MS is currently going off on NWS Seattle and Portland with their lack of advisories or very late advisories, It’s definitely been different with them lately. 

[Ziess]

5 minutes ago, SilverFallsAndrew said:

The latest Hrrr drops massive snow amounts down the valley overnight. Corvallis would get buried. 

Please share that map!

[TonyP]

Moderate snow in downtown Tacoma at the moment! Surfaces starting to turn white.

[MillCreekMike]

1 minute ago, MossMan said:

MS is currently going off on NWS Seattle and Portland with their lack of advisories or very late advisories, It’s definitely been different with them lately. 

Probably would’ve saved a lot of traffic issues in Portland tonight if NWS Portland handled things better 

[Frontal Snowsquall]

2 hours ago, MR.SNOWMIZER said:

My 8-14 forecast for some areas has verified!

Great call! You have such a smart intuition with events like this!

[Chewbacca Defense]

13 minutes ago, Skagit Weather said:

Yeah, it's truly amazing. Today the problem wasn't so much the temperature, but the lack of moisture throughout the day.

We had snow up here a good chunk of the day, but it was light enough that it sublimated fast and it couldn't really accumulate...especially with the winds blowing things around.  The ground did get a decent covering at one point during a heavier shower, but we had filtered sun after that so it disappeared pretty quick.  Because the Frasier usually eats any snow up here, it was kinda fun to watch the sideways snow.

 

Had a midnight high of 30, currently sitting at 24.

[NWbyNW]

Hard to know for sure how much of this is actually snow or just being nothing being picked up from the radar.  Nonetheless, it's pretty cool!  It almost looks like it's spinning as a mini cell or something.

Using some new radar angles tonight! Whoop!

 

 

 

[lowlandsnow]

5 minutes ago, MossMan said:

MS is currently going off on NWS Seattle and Portland with their lack of advisories or very late advisories, It’s definitely been different with them lately. 

What does he say about the weekend event?

[SilverFallsAndrew]

6.2” downtown PDX. Heaviest snow on record this late in the season according to Matt Zaffino at KGW , someone plz fact check that. 

[NWbyNW]

[TacomaWx]

6 minutes ago, TonyP said:

Moderate snow in downtown Tacoma at the moment! Surfaces starting to turn white.

Yep, just finally started sticking and accumulating quick here. Finally got some phat flakes. Down to 31. 

[SilverFallsAndrew]

This is the 04z run at 4a. Nice band, but not as good as 03z run. Very minor differences in low placement will make a huge difference. 

[Doinko]

Radar doesn't look great right now, I think 3-4" will be what we end up with. Nice but kind of disappointing compared to the massive snowstorm east metro

[TT-SEA]

12 minutes ago, lowlandsnow said:

What does he say about the weekend event?

Seems like the weekend event is much easier to forecast given that it's a progressive front and not dependent on surface lows and deformation bands.   

It's pretty clear that the main front will be snow given time of day and dry air in place so it just comes down to precip amounts.  And the front is through the Seattle area by around dawn followed by a period of strong SW wind.  This would be just a standard frontal passage except for the low dewpoints at the start.     But its not followed by a big warm up... in fact the post frontal showers will likely be in the form of graupel and hail.

[Frontal Snowsquall]

50 minutes ago, Gradient Keeper said:

A most incredible snow storm. At times the snowfall rates have been as heavy or slightly heavier than January 2017. Temp 27.5, Dewpoint: 27.1 with gusty east wind and very heavy snow continuing. I'm at 11 1/2" now! UNBELIEVABLE!!!! This pic does no justice at all.

Never in my wildest dreams would I ever thought today could rival 1/10/17 but somehow it did and even outdid that event. Gotta love snowstorms that way over-perform!!!

[thickhog]

Matt Z seems to think it’s over

https://twitter.com/zaffino/status/1628623453321412609?s=46&t=r5mXgduS2ktVBUbtfXhmGw

[thickhog]

3 minutes ago, Doinko said:

Radar doesn't look great right now, I think 3-4" will be what we end up with. Nice but kind of disappointing compared to the massive snowstorm east metro

I wish we’d gotten an inch, let alone 3”. Brutal, brutal day. Glad Portland homies got something regardless.

[SilverFallsAndrew]

Light snow and 32 at Florence, OR on the Central Coast.

[SilverFallsAndrew]

This is kind of the opposite of the January 2017 event in that the higher amounts with that were west side. 

[Cold Snap]

Starting to look like this might be a non event IMBY but I’m to really too disappointed with that since I’m gone. The only thing that bugs me about not getting snow is that I probably won’t be able to maximize the low temps the next few days. Though I’m glad there is still potential this weekend the night I get back. Just hoping it doesn’t get pushed forward where it starts before my flight is supposed to get in.

[TT-SEA]

7 minutes ago, Cold Snap said:

Starting to look like this might be a non event IMBY but I’m to really too disappointed with that since I’m gone. The only thing that bugs me about not getting snow is that I probably won’t be able to maximize the low temps the next few days. Though I’m glad there is still potential this weekend the night I get back. Just hoping it doesn’t get pushed forward where it starts before my flight is supposed to get in.

When do you arrive?

[Cold Snap]

15 minutes ago, TacomaWx said:

Yep, just finally started sticking and accumulating quick here. Finally got some phat flakes. Down to 31. 

I think you are going to get more than that 1/2” tonight based on radar. Hoping you do well!

[NWbyNW]

Checking some cameras, we got snarling traffic in Vancouver over the I-5 bridge, I assume for cars spinning out in the snow.  The roads are completely snow covered.  Whatever the issue is, avoid Vancouver right now, traffic is horrible heading south from either freeway.

Head north just a bit to Ridgefield and the condition continue to be snowy.

But all the snow disappears less then a dozen miles north once you get to Kalama and Longview.  The roads are just wet. Cameras show non-snowy conditions up into the Seattle metro with Olympia, Tacoma, Seattle, and Everett simply being wet.  No snow on the sides of the roads.  North of Everett, there is now snow. It's cold but no moisture!

On the Olympic Peninsula, snow again appears in areas north of Queets.  The Hood Canal is seeing some snow on the sides of the roads, but nothing on the roads. 

The snow is very localized to mainly Southwestern Washington and up the Columbia Gorge a bit such as North Bonneville.  The snow gets less and less as you head towards White Salmon until it is merely a dusting at Dallesport.

 

As for the Portland metro, it's a winter wonderland for a change with white scenes across the PDX.

But while the snow remains, the roads simply become wet very quickly as you head east, south, or west of downtown.  It might be snowing/raining in parts of Eugene, but it isn't sticking according to the cameras.

[Cold Snap]

3 minutes ago, TT-SEA said:

When do you arrive?

About 8pm Saturday night. Based off the 12z Euro it looks like it starts just a couple hours after I land.

[BLI snowman]

49 minutes ago, Doinko said:

Will the back edge on the radar fill up soon?

Best hope is for the southern activity to rotate up the westside, probably in the early morning. Window looks like it maybe extends to 7-8am before the low is finally out of the picture.

[SilverFallsAndrew]

Dumping snow just west of Corvallis. 
 

Also heavy snow on HWY 126 between Florence and Eugene. 

[OysterPrintout]

4 minutes ago, SilverFallsAndrew said:

This is kind of the opposite of the January 2017 event in that the higher amounts with that were west side. 

Sorta? Jan 2017 had some winners and losers but a LOT more winners.

[TT-SEA]

1 minute ago, Cold Snap said:

About 8pm Saturday night. Based off the 12z Euro it looks like it starts just a couple hours after I land.

You should be good... it won't start that early.  

[TT-SEA]

There is really dry air in King County right now.   SEA is at 32 with a dewpoint of 12.   It seems unlikely there will be enough precip to overcome the very dry air and the radar does not look too promising.  But I am also hesitant to doubt the ECMWF.