August 2018 Weather in the Pacific Northwest

[Kayla]

That’s actually blowing and drifting snow.

 

Haha cause it's Montana!!

[Geos]

Sun is pumpkin orange right now.

[TT-SEA]

We were out on Lake Sammamish today on the boat... definitely got much worse right before we came in.   Did not seem to bother anyone though... the lake was packed and it was really warm out there.    The smoke was much lower by late afternoon compared to when we got out there.   But it was noticeably better as we drove east towards home.    The mountains are still visible here.     

 

This shows up on the current AQI map with the smoke coming down from the north and accumulating in the south Sound.

 

[Jesse]

I went outside earlier and actually saw people going out of their way to seek the smokiest areas.

[MossMan]

I went outside earlier and actually saw people going out of their way to seek the smokiest areas.

You are on quite the roll today!

[OKwx2k4]

I always wanted to get some smoke from the PNW/BC down here in Oklahoma, but I think there's been a misunderstanding...

[Frontal Snowsquall]

Me neither.

 

Looks like the smoke canopy is making it's way into North central and NW WA now. Little heavier looking this time.

 

http://www.ssd.noaa.gov/goes/west/wfo/sew/vis.jpg

Here's what the air quality looks like right now for the PNW. The unhealthy air is starting to creep it's way west of the Cascades.

 

 

From Cliff's new blog post today he thinks it's going to get worse through tonight and continue into tomorrow due to strengthening northerly and easterly winds.

 

http://cliffmass.blogspot.com/2018/08/smoke-now-pushing-western-washington.html?m=1

[ShawniganLake]

The 18z GFS dumps over 250” of snow across the higher elevation of Ellesmere Island and Baffin Island over the next two weeks. Insane. #GlacierBuilding

 

I always thought it was relatively dry up that far north.

 

Edit.

Alert only gets a little more than 6” of precip per year.

[Frontal Snowsquall]

PDX made it to 88 today. Tomorrow through Wednesday should be our last heatwave of the year unless the smoke gets too thick and keeps temperature down.

 

The 12z EURO EPS PNA forecast today shows solid troughing later this week as a strong negative PNA signal takes hold.

 

[VancouverIslandSouth]

Link to this image?

 

You can see the smoke pouring over into Kayla's state right now.

 

http://weather.rap.ucar.edu/satellite/g16_20180819_215732.02.jpg

 

Just one I scraped from worldview yesterday: https://worldview.earthdata.nasa.gov/?p=geographic&l=VIIRS_SNPP_CorrectedReflectance_TrueColor(hidden),MODIS_Aqua_CorrectedReflectance_TrueColor(hidden),MODIS_Terra_CorrectedReflectance_TrueColor,Reference_Labels(hidden),Reference_Features(hidden),Coastlines&t=2018-08-19-T00%3A00%3A00Z&z=2&v=-130.84747213439422,45.963097870671554,-117.94512838439422,53.126183808171554

[VancouverIslandSouth]

The 18z GFS dumps over 250” of snow across the higher elevation of Ellesmere Island and Baffin Island over the next two weeks. Insane. #GlacierBuilding

 

 

 

Send some this way, that'd take care of our stinkin' smoke.

[Chewbacca Defense]

In Montana right now, and the smoke is incredibly bad.  We started out the day in Bozeman and finished in Great Falls.  Its like it is foggy at ground level, but completely "overcast" from all the smoke.  We took what was supposed to be a very scenic drive to get up here but could not really see anything.

 

Sounds like we will be driving into more of the same for our return trip to Bellingham tomorrow.

[Phil]

I always thought it was relatively dry up that far north.

 

Edit.

Alert only gets a little more than 6” of precip per year.

It’s drier in the lower elevations, yeah. But orographic lifting with SSTs near their peak can really dump in the higher elevations on a open water wind fetch.

[GobBluth]

PDX made it to 88 today. Tomorrow through Wednesday should be our last heatwave of the year unless the smoke gets too thick and keeps temperature down.

The 12z EURO EPS PNA forecast today shows solid troughing later this week as a strong negative PNA signal takes hold.

Smoke shouldn't be any thinner than our last tempered heat blast.

[TT-SEA]

Send some this way, that'd take care of our stinkin' smoke.

Phil can't direct the snow. He does not have that power.

 

And all we really need is a nice little trough like we will have next weekend and the skies will be clean.

 

And it also appears it will bring meaningful rain to much of the BC interior.

[SilverFallsAndrew]

It’s drier in the lower elevations, yeah. But orographic lifting with SSTs near their peak can really dump in the higher elevations on a open water wind fetch.

 

Given Greenland has ice caps I have always assumed plentiful snow falls in the inland regions...

[Deweydog]

#delayedbutnotdenied

#vindicationbox

[Jesse]

#delayedbutnotdenied

#vindicationbox

Hasn’t happened yet...

[TT-SEA]

Looks horrible around Seattle... like fog.

SEA visibility is down to 1.5 miles.

Still much better here. The ridge looks clear... with an orangish moon setting behind it now.

[Deweydog]

Hasn’t happened yet...

Pragmatism can devolve into nihilism VERY easily. Proceed with caution.

[SilverFallsAndrew]

The smoke was much more noticeable down in the valley today. We'll see what things look like in the morning. A comfortable 61 right now.

[VancouverIslandSouth]

Phil can't direct the snow. He does not have that power.

 

And all we really need is a nice little trough like we will have next weekend and the skies will be clean.

 

And it also appears it will bring meaningful rain to much of the BC interior.

 

That's the kind of thinking that got us into this mess in the first place. People were cheering on the spring drought when it was obvious this province was turning into a tinderbox as a result of it.

[Deweydog]

The Okanogan Valley looked very reminiscent today of August 2001 except it isn't entirely surrounded by fire as it was then. That smoke was insane and created some pretty incredible inversions in the south valley. For a few days Omak had highs of 100-105 while the south valley had highs in the low 80's.

[TT-SEA]

That's the kind of thinking that got us into this mess in the first place. People were cheering on the spring drought when it was obvious this province was turning into a tinderbox as a result of it.

 

Part of me actually thinks you believe people control the weather with their preferences.   

[SilverFallsAndrew]

Looks like NE Oklahoma is running about a -3 departure for the month so far. Of course it is all relative, Tulsa's 90/69 yesterday was a -2 departure. 81/72 with 1.68" of rain today. Up to almost 5" on the month. I will be back out there in about 6 weeks, should be green. 

[Jesse]

Pragmatism can devolve into nihilism VERY easily. Proceed with caution.

Sounds like something a nihilist who believes they are being pragmatic would say.

[SilverFallsAndrew]

Noticed Yakutat, Alaska is over 15" of rain on the month, about 2X normal. A cool wet month so far in Fairbanks, and well below average up on the Arctic coast at Barrow. 

[Deweydog]

Sounds like something a nihilist who believes they are being pragmatic would say.

Slippery slope. Jesus and the Indian Ocean warm pool have been testing you the last few summers. Don't fail!

[Jesse]

Slippery slope. Jesus and the Indian Ocean warm pool have been testing you the last few summers. Don't fail!

Definitely feels that way sometimes.

[TigerWoodsLibido]

A bit smoky out the hospital window on Marquam Hill. Can see the stars though so that's nice. Going in for more surgery early tomorrow morning. Cyborg implant.

 

Several more jerseys on the way!!!

[Jesse]

A bit smoky out the hospital window on Marquam Hill. Can see the stars though so that's nice. Going in for more surgery early tomorrow morning. Cyborg implant.

 

Several more jerseys on the way!!!

Good luck man. Pretty brave of you to opt for this new treatment and potentially pave the way for so many others.

[ShawniganLake]

Euro is Almost out to September now. Soggust is almost over

 

[TigerWoodsLibido]

[TT-SEA]

The HRRR model shows most of the smoke at the surface and aloft being blown way out to sea by tomorrow morning. This might make Chelan more tolerable as well.

 

It seems like offshore flow is usually not effective at clearing the smoke from the lowland basin. It just causes it to accumulate and get thicker. The event last September was incredible here... we had gusty east winds and a temp in the 90s and blowing smoke with no sun at all.

 

 

 

[Jesse]

There is so much smoke aloft this morning that the sky appears overcast.

[Timmy]

There is so much smoke aloft this morning that the sky appears overcast.

it’s a nice/cool marine layer!

[TigerWoodsLibido]

[VancouverIslandSouth]

Surface air quality in Victoria has somehow held out at safe values, in spite of thick smoke above and on all sides. Wonder how long it lasts.

[TT-SEA]

Surgery in the next couple hours. Hopefully the smoke will be clear by the time I am out in a couple days

 

 

Good luck again... I am sure it will go very well.  

 

And the smoke will definitely clear by later this week.  

[Phil]

Noticed Yakutat, Alaska is over 15" of rain on the month, about 2X normal. A cool wet month so far in Fairbanks, and well below average up on the Arctic coast at Barrow.

This after the 29th coolest July on record for the Arctic above 75N since 1850.

 

Hard to argue the -AMO/-AMM isn’t playing a role, perhaps via reduced aggregate poleward fluxes of diabatic/latent heat.