December 2023 Weather in the PNW

[SilverFallsAndrew]

Just now, Cascadia_Wx said:

Odd lack of the usual cold-hearted “The universe is cruel. Things change. Suck it up buttercup and get used to it. We’re all just dust in the wind”,  rhetoric today. I guess that only applies to people who experience a sense of loss from things that aren’t as relatable.

I'll be that guy... When you get a pet, unless you are over 80 years old, you assume and hope you will outlive it. It's fine to mourn a bit, but then it's time to be thankful and turn the page. For a dog I'd say it's acceptable for an adult to be sad for about a day. 

[Phil]

2 minutes ago, TT-SEA said:

Nope... that still applies.    If I complained about the passing of my dog every day for the next 10 years then people would say it’s best to suck it up buttercup and move on.    Complaining won't change anything.  

If I had said “everyone dies, it’s natural and out of our control so we might as well embrace it” after you lost a family member, I’m sure you wouldn’t take kindly to it.

[TT-SEA]

6 minutes ago, Phil said:

If I had said “everyone dies, it’s natural and out of our control so we might as well embrace it” after you lost a family member, I’m sure you wouldn’t take kindly to it.

I updated my post.   And totally agree.   But its also the truth and why we do have to accept death and why we wistfully talk about people and animals being in a better place and focus on remembering the good times.  We have no choice but to accept the harsh realties of the universe.    And this is from someone who just lost a parent.  

[Slushy Inch]

Will be off work soon and will looking more closely at the nice looking weeklies 

[TacomaWx]

22 minutes ago, Cascadia_Wx said:

Odd lack of the usual cold-hearted “The universe is cruel. Things change. Suck it up buttercup and get used to it. We’re all just dust in the wind”,  rhetoric today. I guess that only applies to people who experience a sense of loss from things that aren’t as relatable.

I feel like if anyone else had posted about losing their pet you would’ve had a much different reaction. Pretty low to try and make a jab at someone losing their pet. Really not necessary to start something especially when you claim you’ve turned a new leaf and don’t look for problems. 

[Cascadia_Wx]

9 minutes ago, Phil said:

I don’t think this was necessary. I feel terrible that you’ve had to watch the places you’re most attached to go up in flames. I’d never use such rhetoric to diminish your experience, nor would I do likewise w/rt someone losing a family pet. This reads like a low blow to me.

That’s not how it was intended at all. I feel compassion for anyone who has experienced painful loss like that. It really sucks and sadness/mourning are to be expected. Of course, you’ve always been one of the better ones for understanding this, rather than mocking and trivializing.

[Kayla]

2 hours ago, Mercurial said:

I think those stats are for FCA.  Correct me if im wrong.  Whitefish has a somewhat more favorable microclimate for snowpack despite being at the same elevation.  AFAIK the whitefish coop stopped recording data in 2013.  But yea probably just a couple inches in 2018 and 2020 with nothing in 2019.  

https://wrcc.dri.edu/cgi-bin/cliMAIN.pl?mt8902

NWS says we have a white Christmas 92% of the time, with >95% for Seeley and West Glacier.

Yeah the data I referenced was from FCA. Even I have forgotten just how bad 2018-20 was in December. If it weren't for February/March 2019 it would have been a pretty brutal stretch.

It's definitely rare, hopefully the Saturday system saves us!

[TT-SEA]

5 minutes ago, TacomaWx said:

I feel like if anyone else had posted about losing their pet you would’ve had a much different reaction. Pretty low to try and make a jab at someone losing their pet. Really not necessary to start something especially when you claim you’ve turned a new leaf and don’t look for problems. 

I do understand his point.   There are many kinds of losses in life.    And they keep coming... and faster as you get older.    And there is nothing we can do about it.    

[Cascadia_Wx]

8 minutes ago, TacomaWx said:

I feel like if anyone else had posted about losing their pet you would’ve had a much different reaction. Pretty low to try and make a jab at someone losing their pet. Really not necessary to start something especially when you claim you’ve turned a new leaf and don’t look for problems. 

Yeah I figured it wouldn’t be taken well, especially by folks who weren’t here back in the day. Just thought it was an interesting disparity to point out. I’m not knocking on anyone for taking the loss of a pet hard, fwiw. I think the “Oh well life sucks” is a terrible attitude to have toward anyone experiencing true sorrow from losing something they care deeply for. Would have been nice to see that attitude reciprocated here over the years.

[TacomaWx]

Pretty boring weather leads to some nastiness on here. Hadn’t logged in for awhile but I’ll just come back when things are getting more interesting. Sorry for your loss tim-othy. I’m sure he was a good boi. 

[Phishy Wx]

good to know we're putting timelines on peoples grieving process now. oof

[snow_wizard]

Pretty weird afternoon.  As I was leaving work a wall of fog was beginning to swallow up Kent.  Very rare to see it move in like that here.

[snow_wizard]

15 minutes ago, TT-SEA said:

I do understand his point.   There are many kinds of losses in life.    And they keep coming... and faster as you get older.    And there is nothing we can do about it.    

Absolutely true.

[TT-SEA]

13 minutes ago, Cascadia_Wx said:

Yeah I figured it wouldn’t be taken well, especially by folks who weren’t here back in the day. Just thought it was an interesting disparity to point out. I’m not knocking on anyone for taking the loss of a pet hard, fwiw. I think the “Oh well life sucks” is a terrible attitude to have toward anyone experiencing true sorrow from losing something they care deeply for. Would have been nice to see that attitude reciprocated here over the years.

Although there probably is a distinction between loved ones and forests that are supposed to burn to stay healthy and we have been over-controlling for decades.   Our lives are short in comparison to the timeline of things like forests so its a personal loss because we are only here for a short time but its also how forests are rejuvenated over the long term.   And I fully realize we could lose our house if the forest around us is due to burn.

[T-Town]

Socked in with dense fog all day here.  Low of 41.5 and a high of 47.1. Currently 44.2. 

[TT-SEA]

5 minutes ago, snow_wizard said:

Pretty weird afternoon.  As I was leaving work a wall of fog was beginning to swallow up Kent.  Very rare to see it move in like that here.

You can tell the air mass is soupy... it was sunny and warm here all day and yet the driveway is still damp like it just rained.    No east wind to dry things out here today or tomorrow.

[snow_wizard]

This has to be one of the warmest inversion / low cloud episodes I've ever seen this time of year east of the Cascades.  Many places in the 40s over there.

[snow_wizard]

1 minute ago, TT-SEA said:

You can tell the air mass is soupy... it was sunny and warm here all day and yet the driveway is still damp like it just rained.    No east wind to dry things out here today or tomorrow.

For sure.  I even saw some wet roof tops this evening even though it was sunny here all day.  Really unusual to see it so damp on a totally clear day like this.

[Deweydog]

40 minutes ago, SilverFallsAndrew said:

I'll be that guy... When you get a pet, unless you are over 80 years old, you assume and hope you will outlive it. It's fine to mourn a bit, but then it's time to be thankful and turn the page. For a dog I'd say it's acceptable for an adult to be sad for about a day. 

CFS says the correct mourning time for a dog is 3.69 days

For a cat it’s 11 seconds followed by seven hours of ferocious celebratory dancing.

[SilverFallsAndrew]

Just now, Deweydog said:

CFS says the correct mourning time for a dog is 3.69 days

For a cat it’s 11 seconds followed by seven hours of ferocious celebratory dancing.

I was going to say. For a cat maybe a brief moment of sadness. 

[Poulsbo Snowman]

Maybe it's best to move on about mourning about pets--we all do it because they're family--and move on to the upcoming weather.  No need to measure penis sizes right now.  

[TT-SEA]

Just now, Deweydog said:

CFS says the correct mourning time for a dog is 3.69 days

For a cat it’s 11 seconds followed by seven hours of ferocious celebratory dancing.

Our cat seems really down today... you can tell he is missing his buddy and he senses the loss.   Even though our cat was always keeping the dog in line and making sure he knew who was boss.    That is why dogs are superior.   

[TT-SEA]

Just now, Poulsbo Snowman said:

Maybe it's best to move on about mourning about pets--we all do it because they're family--and move on to the upcoming weather.  No need to measure penis sizes right now.  

Exactly.    

[TigerWoodsLibido]

46F and foggy. Feels like we've been warmer than normal this month. Looks like we're currently at +5.8F departure so far.

[CloudJunkie]

10 minutes ago, T-Town said:

Socked in with dense fog all day here.  Low of 41.5 and a high of 47.1. Currently 44.2. 

There's some insanely dense fog at Fort Steilacoom right now. I actually got lost for a minute even though I've walked those trails hundreds of times.

[snow_wizard]

16 minutes ago, T-Town said:

Socked in with dense fog all day here.  Low of 41.5 and a high of 47.1. Currently 44.2. 

Somehow it managed a 52/33 spread here today.  Usually when the air is so damp like this it mutes the diurnal spread even if it's clear.

[snow_wizard]

12 minutes ago, SilverFallsAndrew said:

I was going to say. For a cat maybe a brief moment of sadness. 

Cats are totally awesome!  Too bad some people don't appreciate them as much as dogs.

[snow_wizard]

6 minutes ago, CloudJunkie said:

There's some insanely dense fog at Fort Steilacoom right now. I actually got lost for a minute even though I've walked those trails hundreds of times.

That pic is really cool.  The way you can't see anything in the background.

[TT-SEA]

1 minute ago, snow_wizard said:

Cats are totally awesome!  Too bad some people don't appreciate them as much as dogs.

I do think our cat is pretty amazing too.   And scary smart.  He has figured out how to open doors by watching us.  He jumps up and turns the handle.    My dog never did that.  

[Deweydog]

16 minutes ago, Poulsbo Snowman said:

Maybe it's best to move on about mourning about pets--we all do it because they're family--and move on to the upcoming weather.  No need to measure penis sizes right now.  

Our dog’s?

[Sunriver Snow Zone]

5 hours ago, Kayla said:

Snowless Christmas is not quite as uncommon as you might think in Whitefish. 2020, 2019, 2018 all saw an inch or less of snow on the ground on Christmas day. 2019 was completely snowless.

It's a lot more uncommon in Bozeman, its been 43 years since the last snowless Christmas. The little system moving in this weekend might save us from our first brown Christmas in Bozeman since 1980 (2004 came very close to being snowless as well).

Exactly. I grew up in whitefish, and I remember quite a lot of times, we didn't get a good white Christmas. I've had the conversation with people so many times explaining it isn't snowy everyday of the winter in Whitefish, and a white Christmas isn't a guarantee. It's pretty likely, but no guarantee.

 

 

[MossMan]

Well since we are on the subject…My dad passed away peacefully last evening. Rough stuff but both my sister and I have an odd calmness over us, he battled so many health issues since the late 1980’s which escalated in the early 2000’s and then nailed him hardcore in early August…Knowing he is no longer in pain (pain that I’m sure many people will never experience) is very calming. Definitely the strongest person I will ever be around when it comes to battling every infection that tried to get him for so many years, but he battled on and tried his hardest to not have it effect his life too much. 

One of the last things we talked about on Saturday when he was still semi coherent at the hospital was the Christmas lights I put up on the house and I told him that he taught me everything I know about exterior illumination as I was showing him pictures of my lit up house.

I still remember being about 5 years old and helping him put up the Christmas lights, they were those big bulbed multi colored lights, it felt so magical helping him and seeing them light up the house knowing Santa was going to come now since he could see those bright lights! 
I always think of those times when I am putting up the lights that now my kids are helping me with!
 

[TigerWoodsLibido]

1 minute ago, MossMan said:

Well since we are on the subject…My dad passed away peacefully last evening. Rough stuff but both my sister and I have an odd calmness over us, he battled so many health issues since the late 1980’s which escalated in the early 2000’s and then nailed him hardcore in early August…Knowing he is no longer in pain (pain that I’m sure many people will never experience) is very calming. Definitely the strongest person I will ever be around when it comes to battling every infection that tried to get him for so many years, but he battled on and tried his hardest to not have it effect his life too much. 

One of the last things we talked about on Saturday when he was still semi coherent at the hospital was the Christmas lights I put up on the house and I told him that he taught me everything I know about exterior illumination as I was showing him pictures of my lit up house.

I still remember being about 5 years old and helping him put up the Christmas lights, they were those big bulbed multi colored lights, it felt so magical helping him and seeing them light up the house knowing Santa was going to come now since he could see those bright lights! 
I always think of those times when I am putting up the lights that now my kids are helping me with!
 

Ok, let's let it all out. My heart goes out to y'all. You have all of us here by your side my friend.

[Slushy Inch]

5 hours ago, SilverFallsAndrew said:

I feel like we could be looking at an EPS map showing the polar vortex setting up shop over Seattle in 48 hours and Phil would tell us it won’t happen because of the GLAAM index and a propagating Rosby wave. But we would never even know it was coming because Tim would keep that eps map under lock and key. 

We have the Phil index on our side 

[SilverFallsAndrew]

Just now, snow_wizard said:

Cats are totally awesome!  Too bad some people don't appreciate them as much as dogs.

I like cats. Living in the country you need to keep a few around for rodent control. The shelf life of a farm/barn cat is only 2-4 years though. There are a lot of things that can get them out here, and sometimes they just move along on their own. You never really know what happens to them, just one day you notice you haven't seen one of them in a while. We current have 4 cats. 

[SilverFallsAndrew]

Just now, MossMan said:

Well since we are on the subject…My dad passed away peacefully last evening. Rough stuff but both my sister and I have an odd calmness over us, he battled so many health issues since the late 1980’s which escalated in the early 2000’s and then nailed him hardcore in early August…Knowing he is no longer in pain (pain that I’m sure many people will never experience) is very calming. Definitely the strongest person I will ever be around when it comes to battling every infection that tried to get him for so many years, but he battled on and tried his hardest to not have it effect his life too much. 

One of the last things we talked about on Saturday when he was still semi coherent at the hospital was the Christmas lights I put up on the house and I told him that he taught me everything I know about exterior illumination as I was showing him pictures of my lit up house.

I still remember being about 5 years old and helping him put up the Christmas lights, they were those big bulbed multi colored lights, it felt so magical helping him and seeing them light up the house knowing Santa was going to come now since he could see those bright lights! 
I always think of those times when I am putting up the lights that now my kids are helping me with!
 

My condolences. 

[TT-SEA]

10 minutes ago, MossMan said:

Well since we are on the subject…My dad passed away peacefully last evening. Rough stuff but both my sister and I have an odd calmness over us, he battled so many health issues since the late 1980’s which escalated in the early 2000’s and then nailed him hardcore in early August…Knowing he is no longer in pain (pain that I’m sure many people will never experience) is very calming. Definitely the strongest person I will ever be around when it comes to battling every infection that tried to get him for so many years, but he battled on and tried his hardest to not have it effect his life too much. 

One of the last things we talked about on Saturday when he was still semi coherent at the hospital was the Christmas lights I put up on the house and I told him that he taught me everything I know about exterior illumination as I was showing him pictures of my lit up house.

I still remember being about 5 years old and helping him put up the Christmas lights, they were those big bulbed multi colored lights, it felt so magical helping him and seeing them light up the house knowing Santa was going to come now since he could see those bright lights! 
I always think of those times when I am putting up the lights that now my kids are helping me with!
 

So sorry to hear that Randy.    And I know what you mean about the surprising sense of calmness.   I felt that too after my dad passed away in October knowing his suffering was over now.   Its going to be a tough Christmas for both of us but I am sure also filled with happy memories.

[SilverFallsAndrew]

Just now, Deweydog said:

Our dog’s?

I've never had a male dog. 

[Cascadia_Wx]

17 minutes ago, MossMan said:

Well since we are on the subject…My dad passed away peacefully last evening. Rough stuff but both my sister and I have an odd calmness over us, he battled so many health issues since the late 1980’s which escalated in the early 2000’s and then nailed him hardcore in early August…Knowing he is no longer in pain (pain that I’m sure many people will never experience) is very calming. Definitely the strongest person I will ever be around when it comes to battling every infection that tried to get him for so many years, but he battled on and tried his hardest to not have it effect his life too much. 

One of the last things we talked about on Saturday when he was still semi coherent at the hospital was the Christmas lights I put up on the house and I told him that he taught me everything I know about exterior illumination as I was showing him pictures of my lit up house.

I still remember being about 5 years old and helping him put up the Christmas lights, they were those big bulbed multi colored lights, it felt so magical helping him and seeing them light up the house knowing Santa was going to come now since he could see those bright lights! 
I always think of those times when I am putting up the lights that now my kids are helping me with!
 

I’m very sorry for your loss.

[Sunriver Snow Zone]

3 minutes ago, MossMan said:

Well since we are on the subject…My dad passed away peacefully last evening. Rough stuff but both my sister and I have an odd calmness over us, he battled so many health issues since the late 1980’s which escalated in the early 2000’s and then nailed him hardcore in early August…Knowing he is no longer in pain (pain that I’m sure many people will never experience) is very calming. Definitely the strongest person I will ever be around when it comes to battling every infection that tried to get him for so many years, but he battled on and tried his hardest to not have it effect his life too much. 

One of the last things we talked about on Saturday when he was still semi coherent at the hospital was the Christmas lights I put up on the house and I told him that he taught me everything I know about exterior illumination as I was showing him pictures of my lit up house.

I still remember being about 5 years old and helping him put up the Christmas lights, they were those big bulbed multi colored lights, it felt so magical helping him and seeing them light up the house knowing Santa was going to come now since he could see those bright lights! 
I always think of those times when I am putting up the lights that now my kids are helping me with!
 

I'm sorry to hear that, he sounds like he was an awesome dad. 

Feels like too many people on this blog are dealing with death, awful time of year for it too. Saturday night my uncle passed away in his sleep after a 4 year battle against cancer. He was the one who made me fall in love with my favorite hobby, mountaineering, me and him spent so much time together when I was in my teenage years and 20s, he was so funny, nice, knowledgeable, awesome around my kids, he was an amazing guy. He will be missed.