February 2024 Weather in the PNW

[Cascadia_Wx]

Gorgeous sunset from Mt Tabor park. Lots of big, downed trees on the north and east side of the park from our ARCTIC WINDS three weeks ago. But honestly the damage wasn’t quite as bad as I feared. I guess the historic shelter took a pretty good hit but that part of the park was cordoned off.

[Meatyorologist]

23 minutes ago, AlTahoe said:

This was one of the most hyped storm fails I can remember. STJ fueled El Nino storm, 6'+ of snow for the Sierra, blah blah. We got 7" of wet snow with rain at the end. Our totals for the entire storm series was 8" with the minimum forecast being 24". season total now at 30". Still need 150" for normal. 

You keep nailing it, unfortunately. Even back in November you were warning of a dud down there.

[MossMan]

29 minutes ago, AlTahoe said:

This was one of the most hyped storm fails I can remember. STJ fueled El Nino storm, 6'+ of snow for the Sierra, blah blah. We got 7" of wet snow with rain at the end. Our totals for the entire storm series was 8" with the minimum forecast being 24". season total now at 30". Still need 150" for normal. 

Been the winter of disappointment. 

[MR.SNOWMIZER]

1 hour ago, MossMan said:

Two of my uncles were mechanics that both owned their own shops and would only take days off for Thanksgiving, Christmas, family reunions, and funerals. My one uncle lived at his shop…Literally. He died of Colin cancer at 52. My other uncle has Parkinson’s and is now in a home nursing home…He is only 72. He partied more in the evenings and was the life of the party but was always back at his shop first thing every morning. 

Wow crazy man, me and my dad started the shop in 1989 with just a small 2 stall garage and now we have 8 bay shop, 4 lifts and 4 people besides me. We fix about 2500 cars a year.

[SnowWillarrive]

2 minutes ago, MossMan said:

Been the winter of disappointment. 

At least he gets snow. 

[ShawniganLake]

32 minutes ago, AlTahoe said:

This was one of the most hyped storm fails I can remember. STJ fueled El Nino storm, 6'+ of snow for the Sierra, blah blah. We got 7" of wet snow with rain at the end. Our totals for the entire storm series was 8" with the minimum forecast being 24". season total now at 30". Still need 150" for normal. 

Percent of normal wise.  You’re doing better than Seattle so far, I think. 

[MR.SNOWMIZER]

Insane the models missed the snow storm by such a large margin this close to the event. Goes to show even in a 24 hr window they can be very wrong in either direction. 

[SilverFallsAndrew]

Really fun cruising around Central Oregon on the traffic cams this evening. Looks like a solid event for Bend, Redmond sitting just above freezing with some slushy accumulation, and Sisters with a nice layer of WHITE. 

[Cascadia_Wx]

9 minutes ago, SilverFallsAndrew said:

Really fun cruising around Central Oregon on the traffic cams this evening. Looks like a solid event for Bend, Redmond sitting just above freezing with some slushy accumulation, and Sisters with a nice layer of WHITE. 

We all know you have an army of DRONES Andrew.

[snow_wizard]

The thing that gets the 18z GFS going on a good track is that log jam of shortwave ridges that piles up off the coast.  Hopefully we'll see this theme be built upon.

[LowerGarfield]

8 hours ago, Phishy Wx said:

move to Newport WA, somewhat cheaper than sandpoint and no income tax and still only a 45min drive to sandpoint

Not to mention lack of services as hospitals north of Kootenai Health in CDA.

Bonner's Ferry would be pretty cool but it's almost as far from Spokane as my location. CDA a bit closer. They have trouble passing school levys though. It is about 40F here currently. Living vicariousy through the CA weather pages I follow since it's pretty dull here.

[SilverFallsAndrew]

Just now, Cascadia_Wx said:

We all know you have an army of DRONES Andrew.

I'm the new Bruce Wayne. 

[iFred]

The snow scene in the Apple Vision Pro is enough for me this season. No need for any real snow for the remainder of the season. Spent the afternoon pulling weeds and doing some garden prep.

[iFred]

9 hours ago, SilverFallsAndrew said:

My step mom wants to move to Sandpoint, her son lives there. I don't think money would be an issue as my Dad owns his farm free and clear, so he has a ton of equity, and being in his early 70s he wouldn't be looking for property. He told me the older he gets the harder the cold is on him and that living there would be "a nightmare." 

Sandpoint is absolutely worth it. It is a marriage of California laid back vibes without all of the needles. 

[Cascadia_Wx]

3 minutes ago, SilverFallsAndrew said:

I'm the new Bruce Wayne. 

The Silver Knight.  

[LowerGarfield]

5 hours ago, iFred said:

Already ordered gardening supplies. A -1° departure isn’t going to stop me.

My neighbor spent all weekend building a chicken coop. They want to add chickens. The coop will be just on the other side of the fence. They actually asked our permission in September last year and we were surprised and honored they asked. They might bribe us with eggs too. They had been wanting to do it for years so recent WA politics were only a very small factor. Wife wants to have the chickens visit our yard to get bugs but not sure I want chicken poop in it.

[MossMan]

36.5

[LowerGarfield]

4 hours ago, MossMan said:

February 2018 redux here we come! 

I'll be on a trip to CA and it shows me getting the white stuff...it's how it goes right?????? More for measuring purposes than missing anything good if that makes sense.

How much would be a fair price to pay our neighbor's teens to measure the snow 1-2x a day and send a photo to me? Wife says I should just have her dad measure at his house, 1 mile away (same elevation) but I told her it wouldn't be the same thing.

[iFred]

22 minutes ago, LowerGarfield said:

My neighbor spent all weekend building a chicken coop. They want to add chickens. The coop will be just on the other side of the fence. They actually asked our permission in September last year and we were surprised and honored they asked. They might bribe us with eggs too. They had been wanting to do it for years so recent WA politics were only a very small factor. Wife wants to have the chickens visit our yard to get bugs but not sure I want chicken poop in it.

It’s easy to stay on top of the poop. Hose it down and rake it in, then periodically drop masonry sand and you have some top grade fertilizer without any lawn grubs.

Also fresh eggs without any of the work, that’s an easy sell.

[snow_wizard]

23 minutes ago, LowerGarfield said:

I'll be on a trip to CA and it shows me getting the white stuff...it's how it goes right?????? More for measuring purposes than missing anything good if that makes sense.

How much would be a fair price to pay our neighbor's teens to measure the snow 1-2x a day and send a photo to me? Wife says I should just have her dad measure at his house, 1 mile away (same elevation) but I told her it wouldn't be the same thing.

D**n straight!  What on Earth is she thinking anyway?

I would give them 5 or 10 bucks a day.

[Frontal Snowsquall]

3 hours ago, MR.SNOWMIZER said:

After my wife died I worked 18hrs a day for 1 year straight. Only break was the ten days I stayed up at my cabin alone. Some times I would sleep on my office floor, it kept me to busy to find trouble at the bars or anything like that. I also lost 2 employee's right around the same time so I ran my automotive business alone for 14 months. Talk about a rough period of my life!! We weren't designed to work our lives away.

 

2 hours ago, snow_wizard said:

The sad thing is some people don't realize it until their life is almost over. 

 

2 hours ago, MossMan said:

Two of my uncles were mechanics that both owned their own shops and would only take days off for Thanksgiving, Christmas, family reunions, and funerals. My one uncle lived at his shop…Literally. He died of Colin cancer at 52. My other uncle has Parkinson’s and is now in a home nursing home…He is only 72. He partied more in the evenings and was the life of the party but was always back at his shop first thing every morning. 

My condolences guys on your lost. Some people live to work but we must remember we must work to live. If we don’t take time to care of our health now we will for sure have to take time later for our illnesses. Having a good work ethnic is great and not being lazy but with all things in life there is a Goldilocks Zone right in the middle that is optimal. Ikaria is a tiny island in Greece known for its longevity and many people live to over 100. The guy at the end of the video gives advice on how to live a long healthy life. He says to not be sad, to not get stressed in order to make money, to make whatever. And to drink wine and be calm. Wine because it contains resveratrol and is good for your health.

 

[SilverFallsAndrew]

Just now, iFred said:

It’s easy to stay on top of the poop. Hose it down and rake it in, then periodically drop masonry sand and you have some top grade fertilizer without any lawn grubs.

Also fresh eggs without any of the work, that’s an easy sell.

I had about 40 ducks last summer, the poop situation was out of control. The flock is down to 12 now which is a lot more manageable. We have 6 chickens too, but chicken droppings are nothing compared to what ducks produce.  

[Cascadia_Wx]

Just now, SilverFallsAndrew said:

I had about 40 ducks last summer, the poop situation was out of control. The flock is down to 12 now which is a lot more manageable. We have 6 chickens too, but chicken droppings are nothing compared to what ducks produce.  

You ever heard the term “Sh*t like a duck ?” Andrew?

[Phil]

2 hours ago, SilverFallsAndrew said:

At this point I'm locking the 18z GFS in. 

00z about to deliver the verdict 

[Phil]

1 hour ago, MossMan said:

Been the winter of disappointment. 

I’m okay with it so far. Not often we get 10+ days of snowcover and a full week of subfreezing temps.

But this is assuming we get the typical El Niño late winter snowfall blitz. If that somehow fails my grade drops from a B to a C.

[Sunriver Snow Zone]

56 minutes ago, SilverFallsAndrew said:

Really fun cruising around Central Oregon on the traffic cams this evening. Looks like a solid event for Bend, Redmond sitting just above freezing with some slushy accumulation, and Sisters with a nice layer of WHITE. 

Snow pic for you andrew! Up to 3 inches now, and yes I still have some of my Christmas lights up. They're winter lights, they light up the dark times of year

[LowerGarfield]

29 minutes ago, snow_wizard said:

D**n straight!  What on Earth is she thinking anyway?

I would give them 5 or 10 bucks a day.

Thank you. I'm even okay if they measure from a slightly different spot (of my choosing) or north facing instead of south but it kind of defeats the purpose if not on our property or even a neighbor's (both of whom have dogs). My FIL is slightly lower (again 30-50 ft of very gradual change) isn't a huge difference but he's also by a creek so I think he's actually in a colder hardiness zone by half. Either way, I care about the measurements. We had our almost 6 inch snowstorm so I don't mind sharing the wealth or missing out. Just want someone to measure. Spouse will be staying at his house since she's still recovering. Now I just have to convince one of the teens to do it and explain how snow measuring works.

[Sunriver Snow Zone]

22 minutes ago, Phil said:

00z about to deliver the verdict 

Not really. No matter what it says, it'll probably end up changing.

 

It'll definitely be a good sign though, if it ends up with a similar pattern to the 18z

[Chewbacca Defense]

2 hours ago, T-Town said:

Sunset alert. 

Thanks for the heads up, I was concerned that the sun might not set tonight

 

 

Seriously though beautiful pics.

[snow_wizard]

7 minutes ago, LowerGarfield said:

Thank you. I'm even okay if they measure from a slightly different spot (of my choosing) or north facing instead of south but it kind of defeats the purpose if not on our property or even a neighbor's (both of whom have dogs). My FIL is slightly lower (again 30-50 ft of very gradual change) isn't a huge difference but he's also by a creek so I think he's actually in a colder hardiness zone by half. Either way, I care about the measurements. We had our almost 6 inch snowstorm so I don't mind sharing the wealth or missing out. Just want someone to measure. Spouse will be staying at his house since she's still recovering. Now I just have to convince one of the teens to do it and explain how snow measuring works.

If there isn't any wind pretty much everywhere at the same elevation on the property will work as long as there is nothing overhead of course.  If there is a bit of wind you might want to have them measure two spots.

[snow_wizard]

2 hours ago, T-Town said:

Sunset alert. 

This season has been one for the ages for sunsets and sunrises.  Just kind of lucky we've had a lot of times the sky has had the right types of clouds scattered about.

[Sunriver Snow Zone]

Some more precip heading our way!! This time the radar actually shows it a bit, but too often is there almost nothing on the radar when we're getting heavy precip. #PutARadarOnPilotButteOrBessieButte

[snow_wizard]

Really unusual wind situation tonight.  There is so much northerly component to the surface gradient it's kind of killing the east wind here.  The temp is actually managing to slowly drop thanks to that.

[snow_wizard]

Major difference a week out vs earlier runs.  This is 0z vs 18z.  The 12z wasn't totally different.

[Phil]

23 minutes ago, Sunriver Snow Zone said:

Not really. No matter what it says, it'll probably end up changing.

 

It'll definitely be a good sign though, if it ends up with a similar pattern to the 18z

I’m kidding around. Ensemble means are all that matter beyond D5. See the new 00z CMC as an example why.

[Chewbacca Defense]

1 hour ago, LowerGarfield said:

My neighbor spent all weekend building a chicken coop. They want to add chickens. The coop will be just on the other side of the fence. They actually asked our permission in September last year and we were surprised and honored they asked. They might bribe us with eggs too. They had been wanting to do it for years so recent WA politics were only a very small factor. Wife wants to have the chickens visit our yard to get bugs but not sure I want chicken poop in it.

Good luck, hopefully they don't get any roosters.  We live in a pretty tightly packed neighborhood (the houses are on very small lots) and a family about 6-7 houses away got a rooster.  My wife and I both work from home, and I get a text from her one afternoon "why am I hearing a rooster?"   Oh....yeah....about that....

 

The really crappy thing is that a cop lives next door to the rooster, and his bedroom is closest said rooster.  Being a cop, he of course works crazy shifts and sleeps at odd hours.  I keep hoping the neighborhood bald eagle will swoop in and have rooster for dinner one evening.

Its really going to suck this summer when it gets light at 4:30-5am.

[Chewbacca Defense]

Beautiful day today but deceptively cold due to a moderate breeze out of the north.  I took the dog out this evening and came back in shivering.  I would have sworn it was about 30-32 but it was actually still 42.  49/37 for the day.

[LowerGarfield]

6 minutes ago, Chewbacca Defense said:

Good luck, hopefully they don't get any roosters.  We live in a pretty tightly packed neighborhood (the houses are on very small lots) and a family about 6-7 houses away got a rooster.  My wife and I both work from home, and I get a text from her one afternoon "why am I hearing a rooster?"   Oh....yeah....about that....

 

The really crappy thing is that a cop lives next door to the rooster, and his bedroom is closest said rooster.  Being a cop, he of course works crazy shifts and sleeps at odd hours.  I keep hoping the neighborhood bald eagle will swoop in and have rooster for dinner one evening.

Its really going to suck this summer when it gets light at 4:30-5am.

I don't remember what they said but I remember they volunteered that they weren't getting any roosters. The husband works for the city's public works department and says they are technically against city rules but they know some people who keep them.

[snow_wizard]

Details don't quite work out for us on this run, but the blocking is insane.  Perfect PV split being shown as well.  Huge potential coming up.

[Phil]

7 minutes ago, snow_wizard said:

Details don't quite work out for us on this run, but the blocking is insane.  Perfect PV split being shown as well.  Huge potential coming up.

This run does indeed meet SSW criteria. But we’re looking past D10 at this point. And AAM tendency will be increasing again after the 8th or 9th. So even if it happens, the pattern will be a difficult one to make work.