March 2019 Weather Discussion in the PNW

[SilverFallsAndrew]

Down to -28 on the hour at Havre, Mt. Unreal cold out there. Meanwhile down to 28 here.

[Jesse]

Down to 43 at SEA... where will it stop???

 

40 here.

32 with an east wind gusting 25-30mph here. Windchill in the low to mid 20s.

[Lisa0527]

Looking colder on the Euro for Puget Sound.

[MossMan]

Looking colder on the Euro for Puget Sound.

Apparently Tim fell asleep watching Knight Rider and didn’t even think to set his alarm to wake up and post maps!

[TT-SEA]

Apparently Tim fell asleep watching Knight Rider and didn’t even think to set his alarm to wake up and post maps!

Not at computer... does not look like much snow

[TT-SEA]

Screen shot with phone. Maybe some for Randy! I don't expect much at all even at my house. Quite a bit less than 12Z run.

 

[El_Nina]

Hey you asked me a question the other day and I wasn't able to answer at the time. It was if I get cold air from the gorge or the Cascade passes. The answer is actually neither, except in rare cases. Every couple years I will get strong offshore winds, in mountain wave/cross cascade type situations, but that is rare. Generally I am at the mercy of the airmass. Cold onshore flow is what really does the trick, anything with 500-1000mb thickness below 528 will be snow up here, even if temps are well into the 40s in the valley.

 

I'm in a good radiational cooling spot too, but if flow is southerly and the airmass is mild I will not hang onto that cold air.

I have always thought it would be tough to live in a spot in the foothills that gets warm nosed. Seems like it would be annoying to be at a higher elevation than Portland and be left out while they score. That's why I chose my area, it has a little elevation and gorge influence to prevent that warm nose. And because of this goldilocks zone I seem to score in every situation.

[SilverFallsAndrew]

I have always thought it would be tough to live in a spot in the foothills that gets warm nosed. Seems like it would be annoying to be at a higher elevation than Portland and be left out while they score. That's why I chose my area, it has a little elevation and gorge influence to prevent that warm nose. And because of this goldilocks zone I seem to score in every situation.

 

Yeah it would be nice if I lived in the Portland area to be able to live in a spot that doesn't get warm nosed. But working in Salem I had to pick an area within commuting distance. This place may get warm nosed, but I still get a ton of snow because of the elevation, 34.5" a year since I moved here. 

 

It is interesting though, that most good snow setups at PDX are just cold rain here. Even on 1/18/12 when PDX got 2" of snow, I had received 21" of snow on 1/17/12, but by the time it was turning to snow in Portland it was turning to rain up here. 

 

Most winters though cold onshore flow type situations are more common than overrunning situations. 

[El_Nina]

Yeah it would be nice if I lived in the Portland area to be able to live in a spot that doesn't get warm nosed. But working in Salem I had to pick an area within commuting distance. This place may get warm nosed, but I still get a ton of snow because of the elevation, 34.5" a year since I moved here. 

 

It is interesting though, that most good snow setups at PDX are just cold rain here. Even on 1/18/12 when PDX got 2" of snow, I had received 21" of snow on 1/17/12, but by the time it was turning to snow in Portland it was turning to rain up here. 

 

Most winters though cold onshore flow type situations are more common than overrunning situations.

 

Your considerable elevation definitely offsets the warm nose and then some, but it is just nice to always be included in a metro wide snowstorm that gets talked about.

[SilverFallsAndrew]

-28 at Miles City, MT right now. It appears that ties the all-time March record.

[Jesse]

If you extrapolate the Euro beyond day 10 it looks like some ridging could build in.

[Deweydog]

Up to 36 at PDX!

[ShawniganLake]

26 here.

[Jesse]

Up to 36 at PDX!

Where will it stop???

[Deweydog]

Where will it stop???

41.

[Jesse]

41.

You have been on a major roll lately.

[Deweydog]

You have been on a major roll lately.

Hey, it’s better than the 50 the Euro showed a few days ago.

 

Just chill, man. Like the weather!

[El_Nina]

You have been on a major roll lately.

Just like the weather!

[Jesse]

Hey, it’s better than the 50 the Euro showed a few days ago.

 

Just chill, man. Like the weather!

WOW

[Jesse]

East wind seems to be backing off a bit here. Down to 30, DP 18.

[El_Nina]

East wind seems to be backing off a bit here. Down to 30, DP 18.

Sitting at 28 here now with a dp of 19.

[umadbro]

32.9  with at strong east wind while basin temps are very cold in early March is pretty meh.

[El_Nina]

25 now. Go this March.

[TT-SEA]

36 at SEA and 32 here this morning.    It does not even seem to be real windy either.   Its actually warmer than yesterday morning.

 

I am guessing that we have a downslope component up here while Portland does not.

[El_Nina]

36 at SEA and 32 here this morning. It does not even seem to be real windy either. Its actually warmer than yesterday morning.

 

I am guessing that we have a downslope component up here while Portland does not.

We definitely do not down here. I'd be well in the 30s if that were the case.

[MR.SNOWMIZER]

Benchmark Mt at -40 as of 7am. Good god.

[SilverFallsAndrew]

A couple things kept temps up west side. One of course being the winds. Secondly the coldest air will not be arriving until tonight into tomorrow. Been watching the single digit dewpoints and they are finally working their way south through the Columbia Basin.

[SilverFallsAndrew]

Even though most of NE and Central Oregon has remained under a stratus deck we did get a record low temp at The Dalles. 16 breaking the old record of 18.

[SilverFallsAndrew]

Some REALLY impressive temps in E. Washington and in the Columbia Basin. Especially considering Ephrata and Moses Lake were stuck in the mid-upper 20s until almost midnight. 

 

Pullman -2

Spokane 4

Ephrata 5

Moses Lake 11

Hermiston 11

[SilverFallsAndrew]

ICON now showing about 12 hours of light snow Wednesday morning across the Willamette Valley.

[Jesse]

Hit a low of 28 here which is impressive considering it was windy much of the night.

 

Really like where the 06z GFS goes in the long range.

[Kayla]

-32F in Great Falls this morning sets a new all-time record low for March.

 

-27F with a windchill of -56F in Havre right now. Brutal.

 

-21F here. 

[TacomaWaWx]

Outflow winds never got near as strong as the other night at my house just been very light north winds here

[Guest CulverJosh]

ICON now showing about 12 hours of light snow Wednesday morning across the Willamette Valley.

Whatever makes it up here is going to fall into some seriously dry air.

[SilverFallsAndrew]

Valley lows

 

PDX: 32

SLE: 30

EUG: 28

 

22 up here this morning. Next two mornings will be even colder.

[SilverFallsAndrew]

Whatever makes it up here is going to fall into some seriously dry air.

 

Evap cooling!

[High Desert Mat?]

Jesse I would recommend the east side. Deep snow here with temps in the teens in daytime and lows below zero tonight. Stratus will temporarily break up some today so should be a gorgeous day to be out and about. We’re stil only using my 4x4 truck since we can’t the car out to the street. Snowplows have boxes it in. Incredible stretch over here.

[Jesse]

Jesse I would recommend the east side. Deep snow here with temps in the teens in daytime and lows below zero tonight. Stratus will temporarily break up some today so should be a gorgeous day to be out and about. We’re stil only using my 4x4 truck since we can’t the car out to the street. Snowplows have boxes it in. Incredible stretch over here.

 

Yeah that's what I am leaning toward too. Sounds awesome out there! We will be hitting 84 Eastbound soon.

[TT-SEA]

12Z GFS and FV3 sticking to a dry solution for Wednesday. 

[Kayla]

Yeah that's what I am leaning toward too. Sounds awesome out there! We will be hitting 84 Eastbound soon.

 

Enjoy! Take some pics!