September 2024 PNW Weather Discussion

[snow_wizard]

3 minutes ago, Port Angeles Foothiller said:

I think he just hated that I got bummed out when cooler weather made things difficult for me. I know I am fighting my climate, but we are here to talk about weather and I am allowed to have an opinion one way or another. No need to attack me about it. I have learned a whole lot in 4 years and have become pretty productive even with a cooler/shorter season (compared to where I grew up). One year we might have a "normal" summer like days past and I'll be really befuddled, and i'll probably vent here. But I bet I still manage to grow something. 

That does make some sense.

[AlTahoe]

3 minutes ago, snow_wizard said:

Just insane amplification already showing up this season.  Could be a very fun winter.

We had our first cold storm with snow above the lake in late Aug, and now it looks like 2 or 3 more cold storms for September which is very unusual. I think an arctic outbreak could be in the cards this winter. 

[the_convergence_zone]

21 minutes ago, Port Angeles Foothiller said:

I think he just hated that I got bummed out when cooler weather made things difficult for me. I know I am fighting my climate, but we are here to talk about weather and I am allowed to have an opinion one way or another. No need to attack me about it. I have learned a whole lot in 4 years and have become pretty productive even with a cooler/shorter season (compared to where I grew up). One year we might have a "normal" summer like days past and I'll be really befuddled, and i'll probably vent here. But I bet I still manage to grow something. 

You're a transplant so that automatically put you on the naughty list. 

The thing that I said which really made him angry that I kind of regret is that Seattle doesn't have a true winter, just an extended autumn and spring. But to be fair, at the time I still had flowers blooming in my garden around Christmas and all the trees hadn't lost their leaves yet, while bulbs were coming up at the same time. 

[Rubus Leucodermis]

12 minutes ago, the_convergence_zone said:

You're a transplant so that automatically put you on the naughty list. 

The thing that I said which really made him angry that I kind of regret is that Seattle doesn't have a true winter, just an extended autumn and spring. But to be fair, at the time I still had flowers blooming in my garden around Christmas and all the trees hadn't lost their leaves yet, while bulbs were coming up at the same time. 

It’s so much better in that regard north of the Chuckanut Mountains (i.e. in Whatcom County and the BC Lower Mainland). It is still for the most part mild and rainy in the winter (which is fine by me, I don’t want to freeze my keister off, been there, done that).

However, we have just enough easier access to cold air from the interior to make arctic blasts much more of a sure thing. Plus as you get closer to the BC Coast Mountains, you get cold-air banking when the lower-level winds are coming from the south, much like the Hood Canal area does during easterly flow. I always thought I would like the climate up this way, and I was correct.

[Port Angeles Foothiller]

1 minute ago, Rubus Leucodermis said:

It’s so much better in that regard north of the Chuckanut Mountains (i.e. in Whatcom County and the BC Lower Mainland). It is still for the most part mild and rainy in the winter (which is fine by me, I don’t want to freeze my keister off, been there, done that).

However, we have just enough easier access to cold air from the interior to make arctic blasts much more of a sure thing. Plus as you get closer to the BC Coast Mountains, you get cold-air banking when the lower-level winds are coming from the south, much like the Hood Canal area does during easterly flow. I always thought I would like the climate up this way, and I was correct.

I manage to avoid bone chilling cold and wind, yet still get the snow maker of upslope. 

[T-Town]

1 hour ago, fubario said:

IYKYK

I remembered the guy in the car harassing female pedestrians but forgot about this guy. 

[Rubus Leucodermis]

1 minute ago, Port Angeles Foothiller said:

I manage to avoid bone chilling cold and wind, yet still get the snow maker of upslope. 

Yeah, your area is really well set to capitalize on the sea effect during outflow events. Plus you have elevation working in your favor.

[MossMan]

16 minutes ago, the_convergence_zone said:

You're a transplant so that automatically put you on the naughty list. 

The thing that I said which really made him angry that I kind of regret is that Seattle doesn't have a true winter, just an extended autumn and spring. But to be fair, at the time I still had flowers blooming in my garden around Christmas and all the trees hadn't lost their leaves yet, while bulbs were coming up at the same time. 

He hated me even more because I was a native that enjoys sunny warm days in the summer. He couldn’t comprehend that concept.
 

I sure hope this was more of an online character of his instead of how he is in real life because if this is truly him he is going to have a rough go in life. 
I wish him well but I’m glad he is no longer here. 

[Phishy Wx]

shades of 2019?

[MossMan]

Feels like fall up here in Skykomish! 
 

Currently 55 degrees with wet roads but nothing falling at the moment. 

[Tenochtitlan]

25 minutes ago, Rubus Leucodermis said:

It’s so much better in that regard north of the Chuckanut Mountains (i.e. in Whatcom County and the BC Lower Mainland). It is still for the most part mild and rainy in the winter (which is fine by me, I don’t want to freeze my keister off, been there, done that).

However, we have just enough easier access to cold air from the interior to make arctic blasts much more of a sure thing. Plus as you get closer to the BC Coast Mountains, you get cold-air banking when the lower-level winds are coming from the south, much like the Hood Canal area does during easterly flow. I always thought I would like the climate up this way, and I was correct.

I already miss Bellingham’s climate so much. The winters are just so much more reliable for snow and cold up there. I was unlucky my first two winters at WWU when it only snowed a tiny bit, but then it was seven in a row that were good to great. Even those first winters there were impressive wind storms, I remember one had gusts of 70 mph. 

2016-17: awesome December snow and cold, January no snow but so cold that I walked across Lake Padden, February multi-day snow event and a couple small snows later in the month and March. About 20 inches of snow total and I think 15 or so subfreezing highs.

2017-18: Amazing early November snow event, rest of the winter was ho-hum but minor snow in February.

2018-19: A solid month of moderate to frigid cold in February, ending with a week of on and off snow that ended in an intense Vancouver island convergence zone snow. There was snow on the ground for three weeks. 

2019-20: January arctic blast and six inches of snow falling at 14 degrees. Sudden temperature changes at the end of the event as Fraser air fought with the subtropical air. 

2020-21: I was in Seattle, but IIRC it snowed a lot in Bellingham too

2021-22: see above, Bellingham got down to 6 degrees. The June heatwave was bad but only got up to 99 at BLI, more tolerable than SEA or PDX.

2022-23: amazing December snow and ice storm, 9 degrees in downtown Bellingham. Before that, there was two straight days of heavy rain in one of Whatcom County’s worst ever floods. I saw Whatcom Creek flood in the midst of high winds. 

2023-24: I was in Bellingham at the start of the Arctic event, I saw pancake ice in Padden Creek estuary, and experienced single digit temps again 

Winter is more hit or miss in Portland. It could snow a lot, it could ice a lot, or no wintery events at all which I think happens in twice as many winters in Portland as compared to Bellingham. 

[Timmy]

That good August rain sparked an epic early mushroom season in the coast range! 20 lbs in an hour this morning.

[Timmy]

1 hour ago, Sunriver Snow Zone said:

Still no update on the fire perimeter ... probably hasn't moved much since yesterday's but it would be nice to know...

This is a good site, it updates pretty frequently with infrared satellite data Fire map. It has not moved east at all since last night.

Edited September 12 by Timmy

[Anti Marine Layer]

How is Jesse doing?

[Timmy]

Gem really gets the fall vibes going. some good mountain west snow too.

[SilverFallsAndrew]

My co worker in Sunriver said they just got downgraded to levels 1 so that’s great news!

[Sunriver Snow Zone]

Level 2 evacuation notice lifted, level 1 now.

[Sunriver Snow Zone]

Really love the 12z GFS, pretty solid amount of precip on Sunday night. Just gotta get through the next few days without any serious wind and we'll be good.

[Phishy Wx]

 

 

[the_convergence_zone]

1 hour ago, MossMan said:

He hated me even more because I was a native that enjoys sunny warm days in the summer. He couldn’t comprehend that concept.
 

I sure hope this was more of an online character of his instead of how he is in real life because if this is truly him he is going to have a rough go in life. 
I wish him well but I’m glad he is no longer here. 

I think the dude likely has serious PTSD from being up close to wildfires and I really feel for him for that reason. 

[Tenochtitlan]

Random question, is Portland more prone to high winds during big windstorms than Seattle? I remember seeing that Portland got up to 116 mph gusts in Columbus Day and Seattle only got up to 58 (at least at SeaTac). But I’m not sure if that’s a general trend or just that one storm. 

[Meatyorologist]

3 hours ago, GHweatherChris said:

You are the one that said it, that is all.  And, Meaty just straight up lied.

Correction, then, @MossMan, Jesse only agreed with the sentiment that you should die, as a joke. Chris is doing his due dilligence, as he should

[GobBluth]

Long term euro looks very close to developing an early fall windstorm pattern 

[LowerGarfield]

3 hours ago, High Desert Mat? said:

I for one pulled .22 in the bucket yesterday. Not a lot but it’s a lot for Redmond on any given day of the year. 

Yeah it's really interesting how you and I did so well but other areas got skunked. I am hoping the wildfires stop before they get to places like Sunriver.

[LowerGarfield]

52 minutes ago, Sunriver Snow Zone said:

Really love the 12z GFS, pretty solid amount of precip on Sunday night. Just gotta get through the next few days without any serious wind and we'll be good.

Please keep us posted. Glad they made some progress last night.  How are you doing with the winds today? Hoping the GFS helps you. 

[TacomaWx]

Thought today would be more gloomy and murky but actually a very nice 65 and partly sunny. Smells and feels fresh outside after all the rain we’ve had the past couple days great early fall weather. 

[snow_wizard]

1 minute ago, TacomaWx said:

Thought today would be more gloomy and murky but actually a very nice 65 and partly sunny. Smells and feels fresh outside after all the rain we’ve had the past couple days great early fall weather. 

Surprisingly I only ended up .25" from all of this.  Looks like the rain shown for today isn't happening.

[Phil]

The PV must be thrilled with all this geomagnetic activity.

 

[SilverFallsAndrew]

Currently 66 at PDX, SLE, and EUG. 

SLE running a +5.5F departure on the month. 

[TacomaWx]

1 minute ago, snow_wizard said:

Surprisingly I only ended up .25" from all of this.  Looks like the rain shown for today isn't happening.

Rain fell this morning here. We had a lot more rain than I expected the last couple days sitting at 0.81” on the month. We were just far enough south and west for the deformation band on early Wednesday morning. Then we were in the bullseye of a NW’ly flow convergence zone early this morning as well which is pretty rare. 

[Phishy Wx]

currently Mostly Cloudy and 63

[kokaneekidz]

On the water today  

 

Beautiful azure blue with puffy mid level clouds 

[Front Ranger]

3 hours ago, snow_wizard said:

Just insane amplification already showing up this season.  Could be a very fun winter.

Paging Dr Phil...

[Front Ranger]

2 hours ago, MossMan said:

He hated me even more because I was a native that enjoys sunny warm days in the summer. He couldn’t comprehend that concept.
 

I sure hope this was more of an online character of his instead of how he is in real life because if this is truly him he is going to have a rough go in life. 
I wish him well but I’m glad he is no longer here. 

He's probably quite different in real life. At least outwardly. 

Also can't downvote/weenie react to people in real life...yet!

[BLI snowman]

1 hour ago, Tenochtitlan said:

Random question, is Portland more prone to high winds during big windstorms than Seattle? I remember seeing that Portland got up to 116 mph gusts in Columbus Day and Seattle only got up to 58 (at least at SeaTac). But I’m not sure if that’s a general trend or just that one storm. 

Like with snow, it really just depends on the specific storm and the track it takes. I don't think there's a lot of inherent difference with either city's capacity for south wind. 1962 was a freak of nature and SEA's number with that was outlier-low. 

Bellingham OTOH has way more potential than Portland or Seattle simply because of the topography and the ease with which southerly gradients are maximized there. I saw as many 60+ mph south wind events in my 5 years there as I probably have in all my years elsewhere in the region. Though the trees there are probably a little adaptive as a result and the frequency of those events there effectively clears out a lot of the dead stuff and underbrush, so a 60mph storm in Portland/Seattle is much more destructive.

[Snownerd3000]

32 minutes ago, Front Ranger said:

Paging Dr Phil...

Immediately thought of The Hangover

[fubario]

2 hours ago, Anti Marine Layer said:

How is Jesse doing?

too soon

[snow_wizard]

1 hour ago, TacomaWx said:

Rain fell this morning here. We had a lot more rain than I expected the last couple days sitting at 0.81” on the month. We were just far enough south and west for the deformation band on early Wednesday morning. Then we were in the bullseye of a NW’ly flow convergence zone early this morning as well which is pretty rare. 

NW flow CZ?  That is super rare for you.

[snow_wizard]

11 minutes ago, BLI snowman said:

Like with snow, it really just depends on the specific storm and the track it takes. I don't think there's a lot of inherent difference with either city's capacity for south wind. 1962 was a freak of nature and SEA's number with that was outlier-low. 

Bellingham OTOH has way more potential than Portland or Seattle simply because of the topography and the ease with which southerly gradients are maximized there. I saw as many 60+ mph south wind events in my 5 years there as I probably have in all my years elsewhere in the region. Though the trees there are probably a little adaptive as a result and the frequency of those events there effectively clears out a lot of the dead stuff and underbrush, so a 60mph storm in Portland/Seattle is much more destructive.

I think Renton had a gust to 100 so the 58 for SEA is either a total fluke or some kind malfunction.  SEA usually hits 50 pretty easily.

[snow_wizard]

1 hour ago, Phil said:

The PV must be thrilled with all this geomagnetic activity.

 

This is kind of pissing me off now.  This cycle was not supposed to do this.  Interesting it hasn't had any effect on deamplifying the global pattern.