December 2018 Weather in the Pacific Northwest

[Requiem]

Mine as well!!

 

Wish I could have experienced that storm.

[SilverFallsAndrew]

At least the 18z FV3 gave us a tease show at the end of the run 

 

How did you know what I was about to post. Also shows a chance of a dusting above 1500' at hour 210...

[SilverFallsAndrew]

Wish I could have experienced that storm.

 

My mom was trapped by downed powerlines between Silverton and Salem and had to wait it out at some random persons house. Our power was out all night, some trees fell down in the yard. It was pretty exciting, but I would take an inch of snow over it any day. Personal preference I suppose. 

[SilverFallsAndrew]

New update from Brett Anderson.

 

Short-range highlights......

A series of Pacific storms that will be loaded with moisture will sweep into British Columbia over the next week, and the result will be heavy rainfall and potential flooding along the coast and rounds of heavy snowfall in the mountains.

By the middle of next week, portions of western Vancouver Island may end up with 200 to 300 mm of rain from all these storms.

Some ski resorts in the Coastal Mountains of southwestern BC may end up with close to 3-4 feet (a meter or more) of new snowfall by the middle of next week. There will also be significant snow in the BC Rockies (1-2 feet through the period) and over the higher elevations of interior Vancouver Island.

--------

Longer range

Most of the Arctic air will be kept out of North America through the first week of January due in part to that strong Pacific jet delivering all that moisture into BC.

There are some indications of an upcoming stratospheric warming event over the far northern latitudes later this month. Typically, these can eventually translate into a surge of Arctic air coming southward through a portion of North America in about two to three weeks after the warming event. Based on this early information, we may see a significant pattern change starting around the second week of January. Computer models are usually slow to catch on to these changes from these stratospheric warming events.

 

 

https://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-blogs/anderson/latest-update-on-the-long-range-pattern/70006882

 

I think we had this paintshop program on our Mac in 1996.

[SilverFallsAndrew]

December 1995 was pretty torchy overall though. I do remember we had a pretty good icing event even down in Silverton on the 9th I believe. The big windstorm day was a mild one. 63 at PDX and 61 at SLE. 

[Esquimalt]

What is you guys take on the mountain snow pattern in Wa/BC over the next 10 days?

[TigerWoodsLibido]

What is you guys take on the mountain snow pattern in Wa/BC over the next 10 days?

Not much down here.

[MossMan]

December 1995 was pretty torchy overall though. I do remember we had a pretty good icing event even down in Silverton on the 9th I believe. The big windstorm day was a mild one. 63 at PDX and 61 at SLE.

We had a lovely event in later January 1996, Warning shots earlier in the month with parts of Kitsap getting buried. I have the news coverage of those events, it’s fun to go back and relive the past events.

[Deweydog]

Wish I could have experienced that storm.

VR can make it possible.

[Jesse]

December 1995 was pretty torchy overall though. I do remember we had a pretty good icing event even down in Silverton on the 9th I believe. The big windstorm day was a mild one. 63 at PDX and 61 at SLE. 

 

December '95 wasn't to warm. Some chilly periods somewhat offset the milder periods. Average temp of 42 at PDX (47/37 avg MIN/MAX). Possibly colder than this December ends up.

 

Things were just better back then.

[Deweydog]

There would have been some massive teeth-gnashing by early January that winter.

[Bryant]

Not much down here.

He said Wa/BC lol

[ShawniganLake]

Your memory isn't great then in regards to 2001. I know Olympia had 3-4" per reports

 

https://english.wunderground.com/history/airport/KOLM/2001/11/28/DailyHistory.html

 

The Seattle had a general dusting

 

https://english.wunderground.com/history/airport/ksea/2001/11/28/DailyHistory.html

 

And cold air damming favored spots like the Kitsap Peninsula had 5-6" with that storm. NW OR had sticking snow near the Coast Range as well

 

https://english.wunderground.com/history/airport/khio/2001/11/28/DailyHistory.html

 

The 1995 airmass was "weak" but was a lot more impressive than anything we've seen this year. Portland had 27 consecutive hours below freezing from it.

 

And you should look a little more closely at 1979. SEA had a daytime high of 34 with 1-2" of snow on 12/15. Puget Sound residents would be freaking out if that was a few days away on the models right now!

 

https://english.wunderground.com/history/airport/KSEA/1979/12/15/DailyHistory.html

We had between 9-10” with the late November storm in 2001. That entire winter was pretty good here. Right thru march

[Jesse]

There would have been some massive teeth-gnashing by early January that winter.

 

Had to wait all the way until 1/30 for our first sub-freezing high at PDX.

 

#ugh

[TT-SEA]

December 1995 was pretty torchy overall though. I do remember we had a pretty good icing event even down in Silverton on the 9th I believe. The big windstorm day was a mild one. 63 at PDX and 61 at SLE. 

 

 

Just looked up the details for December 1995 at the Snoqualmie Falls station.

 

By 12/12/95 were about to start a period of close to 2 weeks with almost no precipitation.   

 

There was only .09 total from 12/16 through 12/28... and 8 consecutive dry days on either side of Christmas.    That period was also unusually mild for a dry spell in December... highs either side of 50 and lows either side of 40.    

 

If this forum existed then... it would likely be described as the end of all winter weather ever. 

 

Then January 1996 came along.    Including a 23/10 day here on 1/31/1996 with 17 inches of snow on the ground.    

[Front Ranger]

LOL, no, they had a few inches. I'm sorry your memory doesn't stretch back that far.

 

http://www.tacomadailyindex.com/blog/snow-falls-on-pug

 

LOL, no, they had a few inches. I'm sorry your memory doesn't stretch back that far.

 

http://www.tacomadailyindex.com/blog/snow-falls-on-puget-sound/62911/

 

https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5273093

 

Also a few inches more than their 2018-19 total to date 

 

 

I lived in Gig Harbor at the time. And I remember every snowfall I experienced in the PNW from 1990 onward.  

[Deweydog]

Had to wait all the way until 1/30 for our first sub-freezing high at PDX.

 

#ugh

Weenies aren't the patient sort...

[Jesse]

Good thing this is a moderate La Niña like 1995-96. Don’t understand why anyone would be nervous this early. We are good to go

[Front Ranger]

URGENT - WEATHER MESSAGE

National Weather Service Seattle WA

306 PM PST Wed Dec 12 2018

 

WAZ507-509-511-556-558-559-131130-

/O.EXA.KSEW.WI.Y.0016.181213T0200Z-181213T2000Z/

Everett and Vicinity-Tacoma Area-Hood Canal Area-

Bellevue and Vicinity-Seattle and Vicinity-Bremerton and Vicinity-

306 PM PST Wed Dec 12 2018

 

...WIND ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL NOON PST THURSDAY...

 

The National Weather Service in Seattle has issued a Wind

Advisory, which is in effect until noon PST Thursday.

 

* WIND...South wind 20 to 35 MPH with gusts to 50 MPH.

 

* SOME AFFECTED LOCATIONS...

 

* TIMING...Wind rising during the evening and peaking Thursday

morning.

 

* IMPACTS...Winds may be strong enough to down tree limbs,

causing local power outages.

 

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

 

A Wind Advisory means that winds of 35 mph are expected. Winds

this strong can make driving difficult, especially for high

profile vehicles. Use extra caution.

 

&&

 

$$

Winds that strong tonight?

 

You fooled me, at first I thought this was from 2008!!! 

[Jesse]

Weenies aren't the patient sort...

Pretty much April sun angles at that point.

[Front Ranger]

I think we had this paintshop program on our Mac in 1996.

 

The good ol' days are still happening for Brett.

[Jesse]

 

Then January 1996 came along.    Including a 23/10 day here on 1/31/1996 with 17 inches of snow on the ground. 

 

Don’t look at what happened about a week later.

 

#trulychilling

[TT-SEA]

Pretty much April sun angles at that point.

Sun angle now is similar to December 29th.

 

Hard to imagine!

[Deweydog]

Pretty much April sun angles at that point.

Late January at least.

[Jesse]

Late January at least.

MLK day is the new last day of winter.

[Deweydog]

Good thing this is a moderate La Niña like 1995-96. Don’t understand why anyone would be nervous this early. We are good to go

You know, stinker winters are a fact of life. Just like head colds and hang nails, no one likes them but they happen anyway.

[Deweydog]

MLK day is the new last day of winter.

Poor booboo. Santa might bring you some wet snow showers in February! Don't hold your breath, though.

[Jesse]

You know, stinker winters are a fact of life. Just like head colds and hang nails, no one likes them but they happen anyway.

Fo sho. We’re technically dew anyway. Although even stinker winters can sometimes score average rainfall.

[BLI snowman]

MLK day is the new last day of winter.

 

Going to be 10 years pretty soon since our last snowfall in the January 20-31 period. And by snowfall I mean a single flake!

[Deweydog]

Fo sho. We’re technically dew anyway. Although even stinker winters can sometimes score average rainfall.

And sometimes hot winters can be DISTURBINGLY dry.

 

Weather is hell.

[Front Ranger]

MLK day is the new last day of winter.

 

It's just the peak of fake spring. Winter comes back in February.

 

Sort of crazy stat...since 2001, there have been 8 Februaries colder than the preceding January at OLM.

[Phil]

I lived in Gig Harbor at the time. And I remember every snowfall I experienced in the PNW from 1990 onward.

How long were you there? There’s no way anybody can recall the details of a multiple dozen snowfalls that occurred 30 years ago.

[Deweydog]

I remember every detail of every sticking snowfall at the coast from December 1983 until February 1993. There aren't that many! Lol!

[Jesse]

And sometimes hot s**t winters can be DISTURBINGLY dry.

 

Weather is hell.

That’s a depressing opinion. I like weather.

[BLI snowman]

How long were you there? There’s no way anybody can recall the details of a multiple dozen snowfalls that occurred 30 years ago.

 

 I can probably rattle off every 1"+ snowfall here since 1920 pretty easily if you gave me a few minutes. It happens.

[Deweydog]

That’s a depressing opinion. I like weather.

You like something that clearly doesn't like you.

[Front Ranger]

How long were you there? There’s no way anybody can recall the details of a multiple dozen snowfalls that occurred 30 years ago.

 

 

Have you heard about the PNW lowland climate?

[Deweydog]

 

Have you heard about the PNW lowland climate?

I hear -30c over Seattle is quite common.

[GHweatherChris]

How long were you there? There’s no way anybody can recall the details of a multiple dozen snowfalls that occurred 30 years ago.

28

[Front Ranger]

I hear -30c over Seattle is quite common.

 

Usually happens at some point during the 3 week Arctic outbreaks.