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Drought Intensifies In The NW


snow_wizard

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Looks like the drought experts kicked WA from abnormally dry to moderate drought and OR from moderate drought to severe drought.  This could get ugly if we don't get a couple of wet months.

 

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Death To Warm Anomalies!

 

Winter 2023-24 stats

 

Total Snowfall = 1.0"

Day with 1" or more snow depth = 1

Total Hail = 0.0

Total Ice = 0.2

Coldest Low = 13

Lows 32 or below = 45

Highs 32 or below = 3

Lows 20 or below = 3

Highs 40 or below = 9

 

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Not good. I'm getting concerned about my well this summer if we don't have a wet spring.

Snowfall                                  Precip

2022-23: 95.0"                      2022-23: 17.39"

2021-22: 52.6"                    2021-22: 91.46" 

2020-21: 12.0"                    2020-21: 71.59"

2019-20: 23.5"                   2019-20: 58.54"

2018-19: 63.5"                   2018-19: 66.33"

2017-18: 30.3"                   2017-18: 59.83"

2016-17: 49.2"                   2016-17: 97.58"

2015-16: 11.75"                 2015-16: 68.67"

2014-15: 3.5"
2013-14: 11.75"                  2013-14: 62.30
2012-13: 16.75"                 2012-13: 78.45  

2011-12: 98.5"                   2011-12: 92.67"

It's always sunny at Winters Hill! 
Fighting the good fight against weather evil.

 

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For many years... the SE was in a terrible drought.  

 

I remember looking at these maps and thinking something must have changed with their climate down there because the SE was perpetually in a drought.

 

Looks like its changed.    Maybe the NW will be in a drought for a few years now.     

**REPORTED CONDITIONS AND ANOMALIES ARE NOT MEANT TO IMPLY ANYTHING ON A REGIONAL LEVEL UNLESS SPECIFICALLY STATED**

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I am really beginning to think that there is something else besides the -PDO, +AMO, ENSO neutral regime that is causing this drought. This regime usually leads to drier than average winters for the southern half of CA, but I don't believe the PNW is usually dry in this type of pattern. This Ridiculously Resilient Ridge (RRR) in the NE/E Pacific has led to dry conditions from BC (British Columbia) to BC (Baja California).

 

This ridge has had the uncanny ability to spring right back into place as soon as the weather pattern tries to change for any length of time, and as a result, a really good series of moisture-laden storms has not been able to penetrate the west coast, especially in the southern half of Oregon and California.

 

If this pattern continues, drought could very well be a big problem for the entire western part of the country as we get into the spring and summer months, with the possible exception of parts of Montana, North Dakota, and possibly parts of South Dakota. The combination of -PDO and +AMO tend to lead to drought conditions in the Midwest, Plains and the southwestern U.S.

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This.  Last year at this time (or two years ago) we were on the opposite end of the spectrum.

 

We need to be somewhere in the middle.  There was too much ocean influence in winters like 2007-08 for the western lowlands to get much snow, but this winter has been far too dry during the cold waves.

Death To Warm Anomalies!

 

Winter 2023-24 stats

 

Total Snowfall = 1.0"

Day with 1" or more snow depth = 1

Total Hail = 0.0

Total Ice = 0.2

Coldest Low = 13

Lows 32 or below = 45

Highs 32 or below = 3

Lows 20 or below = 3

Highs 40 or below = 9

 

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I wonder if this was the normal pattern during the 1,000AD warming age?

That was significantly worse. The reason why studies involving glaciers in the Olympic mountains only go back 800-850 yrs is because those glaciers were either very small or even didn't exist during the Medieval warm period.

 

The climate in the Puget Sound area resembled the current climate of Portland OR.

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That was significantly worse. The reason why studies involving glaciers in the Olympic mountains only go back 800-850 yrs is because those glaciers were either very small or even didn't exist during the Medieval warm period.

 

The climate in the Puget Sound area resembled the current climate of Portland OR.

Is there hard evidence for this? Very interesting if true.

Death To Warm Anomalies!

 

Winter 2023-24 stats

 

Total Snowfall = 1.0"

Day with 1" or more snow depth = 1

Total Hail = 0.0

Total Ice = 0.2

Coldest Low = 13

Lows 32 or below = 45

Highs 32 or below = 3

Lows 20 or below = 3

Highs 40 or below = 9

 

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Share on other sites

That was significantly worse. The reason why studies involving glaciers in the Olympic mountains only go back 800-850 yrs is because those glaciers were either very small or even didn't exist during the Medieval warm period.

 

The climate in the Puget Sound area resembled the current climate of Portland OR.

 

Not really a big difference, then. 

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Is there hard evidence for this? Very interesting if true.

Yes. I'll dig up the papers this evening. It's a fascinating read.

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That was significantly worse. The reason why studies involving glaciers in the Olympic mountains only go back 800-850 yrs is because those glaciers were either very small or even didn't exist during the Medieval warm period.

 

The climate in the Puget Sound area resembled the current climate of Portland OR.

What would down here in Salem Oregon area here resembeled?  Medford?

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Not really a big difference, then.

There is a pretty large difference between the two cities April though October...maybe even November.

Death To Warm Anomalies!

 

Winter 2023-24 stats

 

Total Snowfall = 1.0"

Day with 1" or more snow depth = 1

Total Hail = 0.0

Total Ice = 0.2

Coldest Low = 13

Lows 32 or below = 45

Highs 32 or below = 3

Lows 20 or below = 3

Highs 40 or below = 9

 

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