September 2019 Weather Discussion for the PNW

[ShawniganLake]

46F here this morning. Pretty close to average

[Frontal Snowsquall]

Yea. It was more a comment in the fact that JB has a habit of making eastern US click bait forecasts.

Yeah, I like him but he always has to find a way to make the east cold and snowy.

[SilverFallsAndrew]

Loving those 06z ensembles. Big warm up is GONE.

[SilverFallsAndrew]

As far as fall cold goes, Halloween of 2002 was a pretty impressive cold snap for southern OR. Unfortunately, that was probably better in terms of cold than anything the region saw that "winter". Here's some records from that day:

 

17ºF at Eugene

21ºF at Roseburg (really good climate lol)

19ºF at Medford

13ºF at Ashland

12ºF at Yreka

0ºF at Bend

-8ºF at Sunriver - coldest in the region?

-3ºF at Chemult

8ºF at Klamath Falls

 

Can't imagine it was very fun for kids trick-or-treating. Would be cool if this kind of stuff happened more often in fall though.

 

 

Seneca, OR hit -11 which is the All-Time October record for Oregon. 

 

Burns also hit -7.

 

I have often said I believe this is the most underrated cold snap of the past 20 years. 

 

Shockingly Eugene broke their record only 4 years later with a low of 16 on 10/31/2006.

 

I always look at this as proof that our climate wouldn't suck for cold temps if continental airmasses were a little more pervasive. 

[TacomaWaWx]

48 for a low this morning in Tacoma. On my way home from my surgery and high as a kite lol. Feeling pretty good though only a minor procedure.

[Timmy Supercell]

I'd rather get an Arctic Blast and snowstorm in November than in February. One thing I want to experience once in my lifetime is a White Thanksgiving.

 

I think at least half the time there is some ground snow cover when turkeys (well, ham for us!) are cooking in the oven. It's a little harder for flakes to be falling on Thanksgiving evening, since winter at that time is just barely kicking into full gear. Most of my first inch occurrences have been within the last 10 or so days of November (2017 was an exception when I had 1" early on October 21st). A lot of the more recent Novembers seem to be on the dry side here, there are maybe at most 2 or 3 days in Nov that I have seen accumulating snow. In 2015 I remember 90% of the month's average snowfall happening in one morning on the 24th.

[TigerWoodsLibido]

Cliff Mass is going warmer than average thanks to the Blob and greenhouse gas emissions.

IIRC, Cliff Mass also thought the Feb snowstorms wouldn’t be as impressive as they were.

[Timmy Supercell]

IIRC, Cliff Mass also thought the Feb snowstorms wouldn’t be as impressive as they were.

 

As impressive as Feb 2019 was here, imagine if I actually had a "snowstorm" by our standards. I didn't have one single 5-6+ inch day the whole month and still managed one my top 3 snowiest.

[SilverFallsAndrew]

February 2019 was mind blowing. I won't see another February like that again in my lifetime. 

[TT-SEA]

February 2019 was mind blowing. I won't see another February like that again in my lifetime.

I hope not.

 

But I would like that to happen again in December and then have an early spring.

[ShawniganLake]

As impressive as Feb 2019 was here, imagine if I actually had a "snowstorm" by our standards. I didn't have one single 5-6+ inch day the whole month and still managed one my top 3 snowiest.

Sometimes that’s how the big months go. Look at the 1950 data posted above. Only 1 day with more than 6” of snowfall. Persistent lighter events, likely due to decreased moisture available from continental air masses.

[TT-SEA]

Last winter... we could not buy a snowflake in December or a rain drop in February here.  

 

It seemed like everything that fell from the sky in February (after the warm rain event to start the month) fell as snow... even when it seemed like it would probably be rain.

[Omegaraptor]

I got a whole 2” during February 2019. Nickeled and dimed. None of it lasted.

 

The highlight of that month was the 1.9” of rain we got at once on 2/12. At least one Pacific storm that didn’t just derp off into California.

 

At least the skiing was really good that month.

[Timmy Supercell]

Sometimes that’s how the big months go. Look at the 1950 data posted above. Only 1 day with more than 6” of snowfall. Persistent lighter events, likely due to decreased moisture available from continental air masses.

 

I find it unusual that my max 24 hour snow this last winter was on March 10th (6.2"). 

 

The 2nd half of winter was just very consistently snowy. 

[TacomaWaWx]

Sometimes that’s how the big months go. Look at the 1950 data posted above. Only 1 day with more than 6” of snowfall. Persistent lighter events, likely due to decreased moisture available from continental air masses.

2008 didn’t feature a major snowfall here either. That was one of the differences between 08 and 19. We had 2 what I would consider large snow events on 2/8 and 2/11. 2/4 locally was only 2 inches we were on the south end of that, and we also had 5 inches on 2/10.

[Jesse]

The models sure crushed next week’s ridge like an empty beer can. I always like seeing that.

 

Looks like a good pattern setting up for some chilly low temps later next week. Could be the coolest September lows for many spots on the west side since 2005 if anything like what is being advertised verifies.

[Timmy Supercell]

Last winter... we could not buy a snowflake in December or a rain drop in February here.  

 

It seemed like everything that fell from the sky in February (after the warm rain event to start the month) fell as snow... even when it seemed like it would probably be rain.

 

Also interesting that at my place not 100% of the moisture was snow, when Redding got a foot of snow (can't remember the date) it was raining in Klamath Falls. 

[Jesse]

I got a whole 2” during February 2019. Nickeled and dimed. None of it lasted.

 

The highlight of that month was the 1.9” of rain we got at once on 2/12. At least one Pacific storm that didn’t just derp off into California.

 

At least the skiing was really good that month.

I can almost guarantee you that when we have another regionally cold winter month (whenever that happens) you will still find several things to complain about.

[SilverFallsAndrew]

I had 18 days with measurable snowfall in February...

[SilverFallsAndrew]

52.2" of snow that month. Which is slightly more snow than we had during the 2016-17 winter. 

[Timmy Supercell]

52.2" of snow that month. Which is slightly more snow than we had during the 2016-17 winter. 

 

Central OR got it bigger, didn't Bend have a depth over 2 feet? 

 

My depth was very inconsistent, going down and up, and back down several times. Maxed at 9 to almost 10" at peak.

[Deweydog]

We’re approaching February sun angles, guys. Prepare.

[Timmy Supercell]

I had 18 days with measurable snowfall in February...

 

11 days of measurable on my notes, and 18 if I include traces. 

 

7 measurable snows in March.

[Jesse]

We’re approaching February sun angles, guys. Prepare.

Our doppelgänger for today is March 23rd.

[SilverFallsAndrew]

11 days of measurable on my notes, and 18 if I include traces. 

 

7 measurable snows in March.

 

All of the snow was at least 1/2", 16 days were 1"+, 7 days 3"+, 2 days 6"+. Some of it was extremely wet snow, one day we had 6.6" with 1.94" of precip. If this pattern had occurred in mid-winter and temps had been 1-2 degrees colder we would have had better ratios. 

[TacomaWaWx]

11 days of measurable on my notes, and 18 if I include traces.

 

7 measurable snows in March.

3 days of Measurable Snowfall here, one trace, one half inch, one full inch. 1.5” total. All occurred March 6-8th. Set a record low high temp for March since I’ve been keeping records and set a record high temp for March all within 2 weeks of eachother! Had a 37/32 day 3/6 and a 76/45 on 3/19.

[Timmy Supercell]

3 days of Measurable Snowfall here, one trace, one half inch, one full inch. 1.5” total. All occurred March 6-8th. Set a record low high temp for March since I’ve been keeping records and set a record high temp for March all within 2 weeks of eachother! Had a 37/32 day 3/6 and a 76/45 on 3/19.

 

In March 2019 I beat my personal March 24 hour snow record of 6" on 03/20/2012, which was less than 2 months after we purchased this home in downtown. 

 

Just by a smidgen though, I had 6.2" on the 10th. While March is still somewhat a contributor to winter, 4-6" events are sort of uncommon that late into the season.

[SilverFallsAndrew]

All this snow talk is making me happy and hopeful.

[Deweydog]

[Timmy Supercell]

All this snow talk is making me happy and hopeful.

 

When I get my first snow of the next winter season I'm wondering if I should bring back my frog gif. 

[Front Ranger]

The CMC is incredibly cold days 9-10.

[TT-SEA]

All my snow from last February has melted.

 

 

Still some left here... but only in the shaded areas.

[Deweydog]

The CMC is incredibly cold days 9-10.

Phil nailed it!

[SilverFallsAndrew]

My snow made it to April 3rd I believe. Continuous snow cover lasted until March 20th. 

[ShawniganLake]

The CMC is incredibly cold days 9-10.

Looks a little more ridgy early next week.

[Omegaraptor]

I’m finding it hard to find high hopes for this winter even with many atmospheric conditions working in our favor. I can’t help but think that we’ll be donut holed again while everywhere else in the PNW scores hard.

 

Oh well. If you go in expecting the worst case scenario, you’ll never be disappointed.

[Front Ranger]

Looks a little more ridgy early next week.

Yep. Bigger ridge, bigger hammer drop.

[jakeinthevalley]

All my snow from last February has melted.

Daffodils yet?

[jakeinthevalley]

Move in day at UW. Starting year number 2

[TacomaWaWx]

I’m finding it hard to find high hopes for this winter even with many atmospheric conditions working in our favor. I can’t help but think that we’ll be donut holed again while everywhere else in the PNW scores hard.

 

Oh well. If you go in expecting the worst case scenario, you’ll never be disappointed.

winters over! Call it now we had 6.12” of snow here 4 sub freezing days this year. Lol just wait and see man winter hasn’t happened yet.