April 2024 Weather in the PNW

[Phil]

Here we go again. Shocker.

[Frontal Snowsquall]

21 minutes ago, Phil said:

This is random but I’d also like to experience this so called “heavy drizzle” that you guys talk about. I can’t wrap my mind around what the heck that even is.

“Heavy Drizzle” is just drizzle but with visibility of less than one-fourth of a mile.

[T-Town]

43 minutes ago, Phil said:

This is random but I’d also like to experience this so called “heavy drizzle” that you guys talk about. I can’t wrap my mind around what the heck that even is.

It’s like regular drizzle except lots of it at the same time. 

[Frontal Snowsquall]

PDX with a high of 65 today, +3 from the forecast high of 62. It will be wet tomorrow morning but then the sun returns in the afternoon. It will feel humid tomorrow afternoon and Saturday with the damp soil from the moisture.

[MossMan]

33 minutes ago, Frontal Snowsquall said:

“Heavy Drizzle” is just drizzle but with visibility of less than one-fourth of a mile.

You get soaked instantly in a Heavy Drizzle event! 

[Timmy Supercell]

3 hours ago, Phil said:

Yeah lots of precip and crapvection in the warm sector ahead of strongest forcing.

But these high shear/low CAPE setups can overperform unexpectedly, and at the last possible minute. February 2016 and March 2008 looked like nothingburgers out here, but both ended up mixing out the low level inversion and producing QLCS’s with hurricane force winds and spinups.

Looks like my dome is back, not one single rumble of thunder all day, but I see a report of a tree down in Ironton just a town over from me. 

[Meatyorologist]

1 hour ago, Phil said:

What use is cold if it’s not snowing? Thats like ice cream without sugar. Or a wedding without drinks.

I'm starting to agree with this more and more as I grow older. Snow is where the "money is at." Though two 22/11 type days and a week below freezing is the most wintry weather we would have seen in Seattle since December 1990. And I'd gladly take that, snow or not.

1 hour ago, Phil said:

For instance, most windstorms here are sunny or have a broken cloud deck. I’d love to experience a windstorm with dark clouds and precip like you get in the PNW, and I’d also be interested to hear how it sounds through the trees there (I assume the acoustics from a softwood forest are very different from a hardwood forest).

Not to burst your bubble but in actuality the tightest pressure gradients and the mixing required to get those really strong gusts down to the surface both arrive after the front, in the postfrontal convective environment. Often where it's sunny and clear, albeit with bands of showers and thunderstorms. There are tight gradients that can make things a bit gusty ahead of the front as it approaches, but the stable air prevents much more than that. This actually means most of our windstorms, at least as I've observed here in the Puget Sound, come on nearly instantly. Given the tame nature of our climate it's a somewhat unsettling reminder of the vast amounts of thermal energy present in the Pacific, and how even our most boring weather is made possible by forces beyond our comprehension. Concentrate that energy release over a small area, and the sky is the limit, no pun intended.

As insane as the Columbus Day storm was, it's even more insane to me that it arrived without warning, and likely almost instantly, from calm to over 100mph in minutes. Even hurricanes "ramp up" over the course of hours. That storm claimed lives just from the wind damage alone, especially out on the coast.

1 hour ago, Phil said:

This is random but I’d also like to experience this so called “heavy drizzle” that you guys talk about. I can’t wrap my mind around what the heck that even is.

The other day we had sheets of heavy drizzle with wind. It's a once or twice a year thing, and while it looks really cool, almost like a blizzard, once you step outside you quickly realize it's more of a vibes type of event. Getting caught out in that is like turning your hose onto mist mode and letting it rip from three feet in front of your face.

43 minutes ago, Phil said:

Here we go again. Shocker.

You can see the GOA heights increasing as it draws closer. -PNA is the theme this Spring.

(Hope you enjoyed the Phil themed post. Was not intentional lol)

[T-Town]

33 minutes ago, MossMan said:

You get soaked instantly in a Heavy Drizzle event! 

Back in our club soccer days we were at a tournament in Burlington. One of the mornings started with a wind driven heavy drizzle that soaked everyone. Must be the long fetch down the strait there that makes it a thing. 

[iFred]

1 hour ago, Meatyorologist said:

I'm starting to agree with this more and more as I grow older. Snow is where the "money is at." Though two 22/11 type days and a week below freezing is the most wintry weather we would have seen in Seattle since December 1990. And I'd gladly take that, snow or not.

Not to burst your bubble but in actuality the tightest pressure gradients and the mixing required to get those really strong gusts down to the surface both arrive after the front, in the postfrontal convective environment. Often where it's sunny and clear, albeit with bands of showers and thunderstorms. There are tight gradients that can make things a bit gusty ahead of the front as it approaches, but the stable air prevents much more than that. This actually means most of our windstorms, at least as I've observed here in the Puget Sound, come on nearly instantly. Given the tame nature of our climate it's a somewhat unsettling reminder of the vast amounts of thermal energy present in the Pacific, and how even our most boring weather is made possible by forces beyond our comprehension. Concentrate that energy release over a small area, and the sky is the limit, no pun intended.

As insane as the Columbus Day storm was, it's even more insane to me that it arrived without warning, and likely almost instantly, from calm to over 100mph in minutes. Even hurricanes "ramp up" over the course of hours. That storm claimed lives just from the wind damage alone, especially out on the coast.

The other day we had sheets of heavy drizzle with wind. It's a once or twice a year thing, and while it looks really cool, almost like a blizzard, once you step outside you quickly realize it's more of a vibes type of event. Getting caught out in that is like turning your hose onto mist mode and letting it rip from three feet in front of your face.

You can see the GOA heights increasing as it draws closer. -PNA is the theme this Spring.

(Hope you enjoyed the Phil themed post. Was not intentional lol)

Tangentially related is the beauty of experiencing a windstorm caused by being on the lee of a mountain. I’ve experienced that just a few times, once because of the Olympics in October of 2010 which brought an all day wind event for Bellevue to Everett. Then a handful of Mt Rainier events in Bonney Lake and Buckley. The best cyclonic storms seem to have a window of five or six hours before it moves on, but those mountain events can be a solid 24 hours of turbidity fun.

[Chewbacca Defense]

3 hours ago, Phil said:

I’ve absolutely loved it every time I’ve visited. There’s a vibe I can’t quite put my finger on, but it’s deeper than just the conifers and distant terrain. I love it.

I haven’t spent any substantial amount of time there, so I can’t say how I’d feel after a year, but even if it’s not the best long term climate for me, I’ll wager that I would enjoy it for a time, at least. I’d be fascinated to learn/experience all the microclimates, mesoscale quirks, and different types of weather that I don’t get to experience here. I like learning, and I like trying new things.

For instance, most windstorms here are sunny or have a broken cloud deck. I’d love to experience a windstorm with dark clouds and precip like you get in the PNW, and I’d also be interested to hear how it sounds through the trees there (I assume the acoustics from a softwood forest are very different from a hardwood forest).

My experience is that *most* of the time, the strongest winds of a classic "PNW" windstorm hit with no rain, and typically a mid to high broken cloud deck.  It's when we have a strong front pass through that we get the sideways rain and dark clouds, but that is usually pretty brief, maybe an hour tops.

[Chewbacca Defense]

1 hour ago, MossMan said:

You get soaked instantly in a Heavy Drizzle event! 

I enjoy a good heavy drizzle, except if I am caught out in it unprepared (for the reason you mention).  You don't hear the classic rainfall sound, just the sound of water dripping from the trees.  Heavy drizzle while playing soccer is kinda lame, I have to wear glasses to play and I have a harder time with fogging and not being able to see through all the water on my lenses.

[Cascadia_Wx]

Ended up with a 63/41 day here. Clouded up pretty good later afternoon and got chillier. Down to 55 now. It’s a shame that nice area of cold showers offshore isn’t making a bee-line for us this weekend, as previously advertised.

[Phishy Wx]

2 hours ago, MossMan said:

You get soaked instantly in a Heavy Drizzle event! 

drenched, sometimes even leads to flooding

[MossMan]

25 minutes ago, Chewbacca Defense said:

My experience is that *most* of the time, the strongest winds of a classic "PNW" windstorm hit with no rain, and typically a mid to high broken cloud deck.  It's when we have a strong front pass through that we get the sideways rain and dark clouds, but that is usually pretty brief, maybe an hour tops.

Yep!! Winds were hardcore when I took these moon lit pictures, the power had just gone out…And remained out for 4 days. I believe this was from an insane westerly surge event. 

Edited April 12 by MossMan

[TigerWoodsLibido]

3 hours ago, Frontal Snowsquall said:

It’s good to see you posting again Bryan. Were you able to get your ?

Yeah, finally but while I was off the meds I was in rough shape.

[Snownerd3000]

 

Pretty amazing to see the rapid collapse of the Nino.

[Cascadia_Wx]

6 minutes ago, Snownerd3000 said:

 

Pretty amazing to see the rapid collapse of the Nino.

Hopefully it starts to affect our tangible weather sooner rather than later. Fingers crossed for a “backloaded” spring  

[Deweydog]

Nice evening!

[Phil]

2 hours ago, Timmy Supercell said:

Looks like my dome is back, not one single rumble of thunder all day, but I see a report of a tree down in Ironton just a town over from me. 

Seems when you score I get shafted and vice versa. I’ve been seeing flashes of lightning for the last 90 mins and there’s a bowing line of storms approaching from the southwest. Feels like an over-performer incoming.

[Cascadia_Wx]

11 hours ago, Phil said:

Seems when you score I get shafted and vice versa. I’ve been seeing flashes of lightning for the last 90 mins and there’s a bowing line of storms approaching from the southwest. Feels like an over-performer incoming.

Wish we were having some storms. Definite Phil-pattern lately

Edited April 12 by Cascadia_Wx

[Phil]

2 hours ago, Meatyorologist said:

Not to burst your bubble but in actuality the tightest pressure gradients and the mixing required to get those really strong gusts down to the surface both arrive after the front, in the postfrontal convective environment. Often where it's sunny and clear, albeit with bands of showers and thunderstorms. There are tight gradients that can make things a bit gusty ahead of the front as it approaches, but the stable air prevents much more than that. This actually means most of our windstorms, at least as I've observed here in the Puget Sound, come on nearly instantly. Given the tame nature of our climate it's a somewhat unsettling reminder of the vast amounts of thermal energy present in the Pacific, and how even our most boring weather is made possible by forces beyond our comprehension. Concentrate that energy release over a small area, and the sky is the limit, no pun intended.

 

49 minutes ago, Chewbacca Defense said:

My experience is that *most* of the time, the strongest winds of a classic "PNW" windstorm hit with no rain, and typically a mid to high broken cloud deck.  It's when we have a strong front pass through that we get the sideways rain and dark clouds, but that is usually pretty brief, maybe an hour tops.

Interesting, that’s kind of similar to here, then (w/rt the “instant” start time and lack of precip). Are the winds more sustained out there or are they more gusty?

Out this way the big league windstorms are driven by mountain waves and downsloping under post-frontal CAA/pressure rises. So winds usually manifest as strong, pulsing gusts that come in sets of 2-3 (except in exceptional events, which can rip nonstop, but that is uncommon).

[Phil]

1 minute ago, Cascadia_Wx said:

We were were having some storms. Definite Phil-pattern lately

Hey I didn’t use the J-word to describe the 12z EPS. Though I did consider it (because it’s true  ).

[TT-SEA]

1 minute ago, Phil said:

Hey I didn’t use the J-word to describe the 12z EPS. Though I did consider it (because it’s true  ).

It's interesting because the pattern next week is one way to have spectacular weather with troughing overhead.    The GFS was troughy all of next week and most days were sunny and in the 60s.   That is my favorite kind of April weather.   Too much heat in April is usually offset during the summer months.

[Phil]

3 hours ago, Frontal Snowsquall said:

“Heavy Drizzle” is just drizzle but with visibility of less than one-fourth of a mile.

 

3 hours ago, T-Town said:

It’s like regular drizzle except lots of it at the same time. 

 

3 hours ago, MossMan said:

You get soaked instantly in a Heavy Drizzle event! 

 

2 hours ago, Meatyorologist said:

The other day we had sheets of heavy drizzle with wind. It's a once or twice a year thing, and while it looks really cool, almost like a blizzard, once you step outside you quickly realize it's more of a vibes type of event. Getting caught out in that is like turning your hose onto mist mode and letting it rip from three feet in front of your face.

 

1 hour ago, Chewbacca Defense said:

I enjoy a good heavy drizzle, except if I am caught out in it unprepared (for the reason you mention).  You don't hear the classic rainfall sound, just the sound of water dripping from the trees.  Heavy drizzle while playing soccer is kinda lame, I have to wear glasses to play and I have a harder time with fogging and not being able to see through all the water on my lenses.

Conflicting reports?

Definitely have to check this one off my bucket list. I bet Tim gets a lot of heavy drizzle. 

[Phishy Wx]

Drizzle the best!

[Phil]

1 minute ago, Phishy Wx said:

Drizzle the best!

You’re about to be on the heat miser blacklist.

[TT-SEA]

5 minutes ago, Phil said:

 

 

 

 

Conflicting reports?

Definitely have to check this one off my bucket list. I bet Tim gets a lot of heavy drizzle. 

I would guess heavy drizzle is happening 90-95% of the time here.    We had a 2-hour break this morning but it will probably go now until early next week without stopping.     

[Phishy Wx]

[TT-SEA]

I am stealing a pic our old friend Andy in Woodinville just posted now on FB because I really like it.  

I can tell this pic was taken from the northwestern corner of Lake Sammamish in Redmond looking towards the SSE and zoomed in on Rainier.

[Frontal Snowsquall]

1 hour ago, TigerWoodsLibido said:

Yeah, finally but while I was off the meds I was in rough shape.

Glad you got your ! Praise the Lord!  

[Meatyorologist]

2 hours ago, iFred said:

Tangentially related is the beauty of experiencing a windstorm caused by being on the lee of a mountain. I’ve experienced that just a few times, once because of the Olympics in October of 2010 which brought an all day wind event for Bellevue to Everett. Then a handful of Mt Rainier events in Bonney Lake and Buckley. The best cyclonic storms seem to have a window of five or six hours before it moves on, but those mountain events can be a solid 24 hours of turbidity fun.

We get those here on the north end of the city. Used to confuse the hell out of me as a kid. I can reliably count on some lee action if we're in the Olympic rain shadow during an AR event. Especially if vertical wind shear is low and the whole column descends efficiently. On days like that it can be pissing buckets of rain in Tacoma under dark skies with no wind, while up here it's dry and mild under filtered sunshine, with roaring westerly gusts around 40-50mph. Excellent walking days, very active and pleasant!

[Meatyorologist]

Just now, Meatyorologist said:

We get those here on the north end of the city. Used to confuse the hell out of me as a kid. I can reliably count on some lee action if we're in the Olympic rain shadow during an AR event. Especially if vertical wind shear is low and the whole column descends efficiently. On days like that it can be pissing buckets of rain in Tacoma under dark skies with no wind, while up here it's dry and mild under filtered sunshine, with roaring westerly gusts around 40-50mph. Excellent walking days, very active and pleasant!

Then on the backend of the front you can watch the PSCZ negate the rainfall differential in the exact areas that were shadowed hardest.

[Meatyorologist]

51 minutes ago, Phil said:

 

Interesting, that’s kind of similar to here, then (w/rt the “instant” start time and lack of precip). Are the winds more sustained out there or are they more gusty?

Out this way the big league windstorms are driven by mountain waves and downsloping under post-frontal CAA/pressure rises. So winds usually manifest as strong, pulsing gusts that come in sets of 2-3 (except in exceptional events, which can rip nonstop, but that is uncommon).

It's pretty gusty in nature here, though I'm in the lee of some ~450' hills, so short timescale wind patterns could be more stochastic in nature right where I am due to lee turbulence. Could be much different in a more exposed location such as the top of Magnolia near Discovery Park, at 300' overlooking the Puget Sound.

[Phil]

Yeah that’s a tornado tracking right along I-81.

[TT-SEA]

Quite the west coast warm finger again by the middle of next week on the 00Z GFS.   And cold again in the upper Midwest after a warm weekend there.

[Front Ranger]

4 hours ago, Phil said:

This is random but I’d also like to experience this so called “heavy drizzle” that you guys talk about. I can’t wrap my mind around what the heck that even is.

It's nature sweating like she's in the DC swamp in August.

[Phil]

8 minutes ago, Meatyorologist said:

It's pretty gusty in nature here, though I'm in the lee of some ~450' hills, so short timescale wind patterns could be more stochastic in nature right where I am due to lee turbulence. Could be much different in a more exposed location such as the top of Magnolia near Discovery Park, at 300' overlooking the Puget Sound.

Interesting. I assume you’re to the north of said hills?

[Frontal Snowsquall]

9 minutes ago, Phil said:

Yeah that’s a tornado tracking right along I-81.

Wow, that must be at least an EF3? Martinsburg ALERT  

[Phil]

2 minutes ago, Frontal Snowsquall said:

Wow, that must be at least an EF3? Martinsburg ALERT  

Idk about that, but there was a debris ball signature. And apparently a car wreck right where it tracked?

 

[TT-SEA]

Both the 00Z GFS and 00Z GEM are much less troughy for next week.