May 2024 Pacific Northwest Weather

[Rubus Leucodermis]

8 hours ago, Cascadia_Wx said:

There’s a lot to unpack here. I work in natural resource management so I see a lot of this stuff first hand on a weekly basis. I do think there are factors that have helped lead to overuse of the parks, as you mentioned, and sometimes there are people that come up for the “wrong” reasons with little respect for nature. That said, I’m not of the mind that the younger generation is inherently any worse than those before. I see plenty of people of all ages being great visitors or not so great. It all comes down to education and prior exposure.

I’m older than most here and my first visit to Yellowstone was in the late 1960’s. There were plenty of idiots trying to hand-feed the bears. Got to see more than a few. (There were enough idiots hand-feeding bears out of their car windows that the bears learned to associate roads with food, and would hang out along them awaiting handouts. The practice only stopped when the Park Service killed all the habituated bears and cracked down hard on visitors feeding bears. I think this happened circa 1980.

Here’s one photo I trolled up from a quick web search. Looks very familiar. And it is easy to find hundreds of such photos.

 

[Rubus Leucodermis]

7 hours ago, NorthBend RainEnthusiast said:

I'll be on a SW USA trip during the same time period, though it'll be in Navajo country in the four corners region. I've traveled Utah and Arizona extensively over the last decade and have some tips:

• Zion National Park: I'll leave out tips on the classic hikes at Zion in the main canyon (Angel's Landing, Observation Point, Narrows) since there is plenty of information out there about those. The key is to catch the earliest shuttles, you won't feel the crowds as much then. What many miss is that there are three other areas of Zion that are absolutely worth exploring:
  • Kolob Canyons: This is located off I-15 and is an incredible area of Zion. The best short hike I have ever done is located here, the South Fork of Taylor Creek. Cannot recommend this trail enough.
  • East Canyon: I recommend Many Pools "off-trail" hike, absolutely incredible and very lonely.
  • Kolob Terrace: I recommend the Northgate Peaks trail at the Wildcat Canyon trailhead, it is absolutely beautiful and uncrowded.
  • I would recommend any of those three areas over Cedar Breaks, which will be mostly snow still in May.
• Bryce Canyon:
  • Hike the Fairyland Loop trail in the park.
  • We found Kodachrome Basin State Park near Cannonville to be worth the visit, I think we hiked the Angel's Palace trail. Great BBQ at IDK BBQ nearby.
  • There is also Willis Creek slot canyon nearby  (feet will get wet), absolutely worth it.
• Capitol Reef:
  • The drive between Bryce and Capitol Reef on UT-12 is mindblowing, one of the prettiest highways you'll ever drive.
  • Look up the Burr trail in Grand Staircase Escalante and Capitol Reef, absolutely worth making it to the steep windy section, Headquarter Canyon was a great trail.
  • Inside the park, don't forget to get some pie! It sells out fast but is delicious. Cohab Canyon, Grand Wash, all great trails.
• Moab:
  • The best hike I've found in all of Canyonlands/Arches is the Chesler Park/Joint Trail loop. Druid Arch is cool too. I prefer Needles District over Island in the Sky and both over Arches. 
  • 128 east along the river is beautiful, plenty of camping and rock climbing, Fisher Towers is beautiful (biggest climb I've done). 145 is fun too, pushed my car to the limits.
• Grand Canyon:
  • Given your other travels, I hope you're visiting the North Rim instead of the South Rim. Much quieter, the lodge is my favorite in the NPS and the hikes are great! 

Have a great trip!

If you want a spectacular drive in Navajo country, try Utah Route 261 between Monument Valley and Natural Bridges.

[Rubus Leucodermis]

38.5/59.7˚F for the day.

Balance of the morels I found Monday has been dried for long-term storage.

[Sunriver Snow Zone]

45 minutes ago, Meatyorologist said:

Crazy how you can keep racking in the teens in May. All you need is a clear sky and an airmass that isn't completely torching.

Have you ever had a day that reached 90F after bottoming out below freezing?

We have had 59 days 90+F that had a low below freezing since we moved here in 2016. Most impressive days we've had is a 94/25 day and a 101/31 day.

 

Keep in mind my property has a lack of trees compared to most of the neighborhood (although we still have plenty), which makes our highs a warm outlier and lows a cold outlier. 

[Sunriver Snow Zone]

31 minutes ago, Rubus Leucodermis said:

I’m older than most here and my first visit to Yellowstone was in the late 1960’s. There were plenty of idiots trying to hand-feed the bears. Got to see more than a few. (There were enough idiots hand-feeding bears out of their car windows that the bears learned to associate roads with food, and would hang out along them awaiting handouts. The practice only stopped when the Park Service killed all the habituated bears and cracked down hard on visitors feeding bears. I think this happened circa 1980.

Here’s one photo I trolled up from a quick web search. Looks very familiar. And it is easy to find hundreds of such photos.

 

Yellowstone was an absolute sh1tshow from the 60s to the late 80s, the park tried to crack down on the bear feeding in the early 80s but it continued for another decade, because the bears were already used to begging for food and the tourists kept feeding them, so there was no reason for them to stop. I worked and lived in Yellowstone in 3 different summers back when I was a young lad, got to witness dumb tourists in all of their glory. But once you get a mile away from the road, 100% of the idiots and 99+% of the crowds vanish, and you get to see the most beautiful parts of the park, the incredible mountains, lakes, canyons, waterfalls, valleys, and forests. Unfortunately, almost all of the Geyser basins are easily accessible so there's really no way to avoid the crowds to see those, there is only 1 geyser basin (Shoshone lake geyser basin), and 1 geyser (lone star geyser) that is not easily accessible.

 

A good way to see the easily accessible geyser basins without any crowds is going to them in the middle of the night under a full moon, plenty of lighting but rarely will you see another person.

[Cascadia_Wx]

Coolish first day of May with partly to mostly cloudy skies. 58/42 spread here. There were some neat looking clouds around this evening as the next system began to move in.

[Rubus Leucodermis]

1 hour ago, Sunriver Snow Zone said:

Yellowstone was an absolute sh1tshow from the 60s to the late 80s, the park tried to crack down on the bear feeding in the early 80s but it continued for another decade, because the bears were already used to begging for food and the tourists kept feeding them, so there was no reason for them to stop. I worked and lived in Yellowstone in 3 different summers back when I was a young lad, got to witness dumb tourists in all of their glory. But once you get a mile away from the road, 100% of the idiots and 99+% of the crowds vanish, and you get to see the most beautiful parts of the park, the incredible mountains, lakes, canyons, waterfalls, valleys, and forests. Unfortunately, almost all of the Geyser basins are easily accessible so there's really no way to avoid the crowds to see those, there is only 1 geyser basin (Shoshone lake geyser basin), and 1 geyser (lone star geyser) that is not easily accessible.

 

A good way to see the easily accessible geyser basins without any crowds is going to them in the middle of the night under a full moon, plenty of lighting but rarely will you see another person.

Going to Shoshone geyser basin is one of the things on my Yellowstone bucket list.

Last time I was there (2016) was October, and it was still surprisingly busy for so late in the season. I do not think I would want to go there in the height of summer.

[Chewbacca Defense]

9 hours ago, NorthBend RainEnthusiast said:

I'll be on a SW USA trip during the same time period, though it'll be in Navajo country in the four corners region. I've traveled Utah and Arizona extensively over the last decade and have some tips:

• Zion National Park: I'll leave out tips on the classic hikes at Zion in the main canyon (Angel's Landing, Observation Point, Narrows) since there is plenty of information out there about those. The key is to catch the earliest shuttles, you won't feel the crowds as much then. What many miss is that there are three other areas of Zion that are absolutely worth exploring:
  • Kolob Canyons: This is located off I-15 and is an incredible area of Zion. The best short hike I have ever done is located here, the South Fork of Taylor Creek. Cannot recommend this trail enough.
  • East Canyon: I recommend Many Pools "off-trail" hike, absolutely incredible and very lonely.
  • Kolob Terrace: I recommend the Northgate Peaks trail at the Wildcat Canyon trailhead, it is absolutely beautiful and uncrowded.
  • I would recommend any of those three areas over Cedar Breaks, which will be mostly snow still in May.
• Bryce Canyon:
  • Hike the Fairyland Loop trail in the park.
  • We found Kodachrome Basin State Park near Cannonville to be worth the visit, I think we hiked the Angel's Palace trail. Great BBQ at IDK BBQ nearby.
  • There is also Willis Creek slot canyon nearby  (feet will get wet), absolutely worth it.
• Capitol Reef:
  • The drive between Bryce and Capitol Reef on UT-12 is mindblowing, one of the prettiest highways you'll ever drive.
  • Look up the Burr trail in Grand Staircase Escalante and Capitol Reef, absolutely worth making it to the steep windy section, Headquarter Canyon was a great trail.
  • Inside the park, don't forget to get some pie! It sells out fast but is delicious. Cohab Canyon, Grand Wash, all great trails.
• Moab:
  • The best hike I've found in all of Canyonlands/Arches is the Chesler Park/Joint Trail loop. Druid Arch is cool too. I prefer Needles District over Island in the Sky and both over Arches. 
  • 128 east along the river is beautiful, plenty of camping and rock climbing, Fisher Towers is beautiful (biggest climb I've done). 145 is fun too, pushed my car to the limits.
• Grand Canyon:
  • Given your other travels, I hope you're visiting the North Rim instead of the South Rim. Much quieter, the lodge is my favorite in the NPS and the hikes are great! 

Have a great trip!

My wife used to be a coordinator for an educational services company that would provide seminars for middle school aged kids.  They targeted at risk kids, and the Navajo tribe was a big customer.  The craziest though was the annual trip to a Native Amiercan school in the base of the Grand Canyon.  Travel involved flying to a nearby airport, driving the the Grand Canyon, catching a helicopter down the the base of the canyon, then a donkey ride from the helipad to the school.  She said that was always a fun one to set up.

[Chewbacca Defense]

Beautiful day up here in Bellingham, it did cloud up at one point and rain a little, but not even enough to get the pavement went.  Started the yard project, hopefully I can get it done before the rains hit Friday afternoon.

[Deweydog]

Some turbulent skies a bit earlier!

[Eugene-5SW]

Day 1 of road trip. Perfect time of year with pleasant weather and green hills!

Sahalie Falls, Celestial Falls, Deschutes River at Columbia River, Riverfront Trail in beautiful Richland, WA.

Ran into some slushy snow over Santiam Pass but no issues.

[Meatyorologist]

2 hours ago, Sunriver Snow Zone said:

We have had 59 days 90+F that had a low below freezing since we moved here in 2016. Most impressive days we've had is a 94/25 day and a 101/31 day.

 

Keep in mind my property has a lack of trees compared to most of the neighborhood (although we still have plenty), which makes our highs a warm outlier and lows a cold outlier. 

Holy crap, I was gonna ask if you had any freezes while reaching the century mark but I thought that would be pushing it. I wonder how that even happens? An airmass warm enough to get to 101 ought to prevent you from reaching freezing overnight, no matter how sheltered you are. That's some Peter Sinks/Gobi Desert type stuff.

[Cascadia_Wx]

28 minutes ago, Eugene-5SW said:

Day 1 of road trip. Perfect time of year with pleasant weather and green hills!

Sahalie Falls, Celestial Falls, Deschutes River at Columbia River, Riverfront Trail in beautiful Richland, WA.

Ran into some slushy snow over Santiam Pass but no issues.

Is Celestial Falls another name for White River Falls?

[Cascadia_Wx]

15 minutes ago, Meatyorologist said:

Holy crap, I was gonna ask if you had any freezes while reaching the century mark but I thought that would be pushing it. I wonder how that even happens? An airmass warm enough to get to 101 ought to prevent you from reaching freezing overnight, no matter how sheltered you are. That's some Peter Sinks/Gobi Desert type stuff.

Or central Oregon. The high deserts in the southern and eastern parts of the state routinely get some pretty incredible swings.

[bainbridgekid]

Yesterday looking South from Everett I could see a large cumulonimbus cloud just North of Enumclaw. GF who lives there said she saw a couple lightning strikes from it right after I took this photo.

[Cascadia_Wx]

21 minutes ago, bainbridgekid said:

Yesterday looking South from Everett I could see a large cumulonimbus cloud just North of Enumclaw. GF who lives there said she saw a couple lightning strikes from it right after I took this photo.

I’ve always found a good way to determine the distance of a storm is to see a lightning strike then count how many girlfriends hear the thunder until it reaches me.

[TigerWoodsLibido]

46F with some steady rain. What a nice change of pace from previous years.

[SilverFallsAndrew]

Just now, Cascadia_Wx said:

I’ve always found a good way to determine the distance of a storm is to see a lightning strike then count how many girlfriends hear the thunder until it reaches me.

This sounds like a joke my wife would tell to me and then give me a long hard look. 

[SilverFallsAndrew]

Wet night out there. 

[Sunriver Snow Zone]

37 currently, looks like the bulk of the precip is going to stay north, had it of been centered over me I could of easily pulled off atleast half a foot. Probably will only get an inch or so, but there's a chance I'll wake up to more than that. Good night!

[Cascadia_Wx]

14 minutes ago, SilverFallsAndrew said:

This sounds like a joke my wife would tell to me and then give me a long hard look. 

Only here would that joke be spun this way.

Edited May 2 by Cascadia_Wx

[SilverFallsAndrew]

17 minutes ago, Cascadia_Wx said:

Only here would that joke be spun this way.

I get a bit of a Puritan vibe from you. Seems like some of our alternative lifestyles make you a tad bit uncomfortable. Personally, I think chastity is one of the highest forms of virtue. I am in awe of those who possess the fortitude and self discipline to rise above the carnal desires of the flesh. 

Edited May 2 by SilverFallsAndrew

[TigerWoodsLibido]

1 hour ago, Cascadia_Wx said:

Only here would that joke be spun this way.

Indeed plenty of us do enjoy turning weather terms into lewd jokes.

[SilverFallsAndrew]

Some nice banding on radar this evening. What a night. 

[TigerWoodsLibido]

1 minute ago, SilverFallsAndrew said:

Some nice banding on radar this evening. What a night. 

Hopefully plenty of deformation banding below freezing through the column this next winter. I'd prefer to see the precip of 2" or more in the form of snow this next time.

[Cascadia_Wx]

Intense little system riding through on a suppressed jet tonight. Almost has the feeling of something that would have been a snowmaker 2-3 months ago.

[SilverFallsAndrew]

7 minutes ago, Cascadia_Wx said:

Intense little system riding through on a suppressed jet tonight. Almost has the feeling of something that would have been a snowmaker 2-3 months ago.

Agreed. Almost perfect setup with any kind of cold to work with. 
So far I think we have to be grateful for how this spring turned out. I really have hope summer won’t be to bad. 
 

Here is a question for the folks. Which of the last three summers was the most horrific? For me it was 2022.

[Front Ranger]

Shelton hit at least 32 this morning. 

[SilverFallsAndrew]

Salem scored over half an inch of rain overnight! 

[Eugene-5SW]

9 hours ago, Cascadia_Wx said:

Is Celestial Falls another name for White River Falls?

Google tells me the whole complex is called White River Falls, but the lowest portion of it is called Celestial Falls. I should probably have used White River Falls as the caption.

[Front Ranger]

32 minutes ago, SilverFallsAndrew said:

Salem scored over half an inch of rain overnight! 

On pace for the wettest May ever!

[DareDuck]

A little snow this morning in Bend. That makes 8 straight months with snow. Slight chance of a little more Sunday morning. 

[Rubus Leucodermis]

Just checked last month’s stats and got 4" even IMBY.

 

[ShawniganLake]

Frosty and 35F this morning.  Up to 42 now with clear blue skies. 

[Sunriver Snow Zone]

½" of Slushy wet snow this morning, 34 currently low of 31.

[Rubus Leucodermis]

23 minutes ago, ShawniganLake said:

Frosty and 35F this morning.  Up to 42 now with clear blue skies. 

Low of 38.3˚F IMBY. No frost noted. Think I am done with frost until October or November.

[T-Town]

48 minutes ago, ShawniganLake said:

Frosty and 35F this morning.  Up to 42 now with clear blue skies. 

I’ll bet the frost glittering on gently waving palm fronds as the sun rose behind them was a sight to behold. 

[ShawniganLake]

Just now, T-Town said:

I’ll bet the frost glittering on gently waving palm fronds as the sun rose behind them was a sight to behold. 

Truly a gift from GOD himself

[Cascadia_Wx]

Beautiful morning here after pouring rain much of the night. Everything looks so fresh and rain washed. Picked up about 1/3” overnight with temps in the mid-40s. I imagine the northern Oregon Cascades got a good hit of snow.

Currently partly cloudy with puffy clouds around and 50 after a low of 44.

[Front Ranger]

Between the storm being focused further south and classic Olympic shadowing, looks like Portland will get way more rain than Seattle out of this weekend's system.