February 2014 in the PNW

[TT-SEA]

Ohhh... and the HRRR shows the heaviest precip over Portland later this evening.   Much heavier than right now.   

[Perturbed Member]

Ohhh... and the HRRR shows the heaviest precip over Portland later this evening.   Much heavier than right now.   

HRRR shows a surge of heavier steady precip hitting PDX between 3PM and 7PM I believe. Lets see how well this model does. If I recall it did reasonably well in December. 

[TT-SEA]

If only we could get some SUNNY days after this snowfall instead of the rain. 

 

 

Yeah... it truly does suck down there.    What a nightmare.   

 

I am sure everyone is wishing nothing happened at all... it would be better than this slop.   

[SilverFallsAndrew]

Holy cow. Hillsboro is at 19!

[luterra]

HRRR shows a surge of heavier steady precip hitting PDX between 3PM and 7PM I believe. Lets see how well this model does. If I recall it did reasonably well in December. 

The HRRR shows a N-S band of precip moving inland from Lincoln City down to Coos Bay, likely associated with a weak upper-level cold front.

 

That band is also showing up on current radar loops, but it is three hours ahead of the HRRR.

 

We may not have as much time left with this storm as the models believe.

[Perturbed Member]

PDX NWS Afternoon Update:

 

...AFTERNOON UPDATE...ONE BAND OF SNOWFALL CONTINUES THROUGH THE
CENTRAL COAST RANGE INTO SCAPPOOSE...ST HELENS...AND EAST ALONG THE
I-5 CORRIDOR WITH THE HEAVIEST SNOW IN WASHINGTON STATE FOCUSED
BETWEEN WOODLAND AND RIDGEFIELD AND CONTINUING INTO NORTHERN CLARK
COUNTY WHERE THE EAST WINDS AND LOW LEVEL DRYING ARE NOT PREVALENT.
THE UPPER LEVEL WAVE IS NOW STARTING TO BECOME A FACTOR IN
SUPPORTING MORE SYNOPTIC SCALE AND BROADER LIFT IN CONJUNCTION WITH
THE LOWER LEVEL BAROCLINIC FORCING.

THIS FORCING IS HELPING TO SLOWLY EAT AWAY AT THE LOWER LEVEL COLD
AIR COMING OUT OF THE COLUMBIA RIVER WHERE WE ARE GETTING
ACCUMULATIONS OF ABOUT 1/2 INCH SO FAR IN THE IMMEDIATE PORTLAND
AREA...BUT BLOWING AND DRIFTING OF SNOW WILL CREATE DRIFTS.
FORTUNATELY IT IS VERY LIGHT SNOW SO IT WILL CONTINUE TO BLOW
AROUND. EXPECT LATER THIS AFTERNOON AS THE UPPER FORCING GETS CLOSER
AND THE DEWPOINTS COME UP THAT ACCUMULATIONS WILL PICK UP A BIT.
MEANWHILE WHERE THE BANDS ARE IT WILL KEEP DUMPING...WHERE IN
PHILOMATH THEY ARE UP TO ALMOST 9 INCHES.

WILL ADD THE LOWER COLUMBIA INTO THE WARNING AS ST HELENS IS UP TO
3.5 INCHES AND IT WILL KEEP GOING THERE SO EXPECT HIGHER END
FORECAST AMOUNTS ACROSS COLUMBIA COUNTY AND INTO CLARK AWAY FROM
WIND AREA... BUT WE WILL KEEP THE I-5 CORRIDOR IN WASHINGTON AS AN
ADVISORY AS MOST OF THIS ZONE IS NORTH OF THE MAIN BAND. THE SOUTH
WASHINGTON FOOTHILL WARNING CRITERIA IS 6" SO WILL KEEP THIS ZONE AS
AN ADVISORY AS 4-6" IS EXPECTED.

[Jesse]

Holy cow. Hillsboro is at 19!

This is quickly turning into a fairly historic event.

 

Still 15 here. Looks like 18 may be the warmest I get today.

[Dadio]

The wundermap on wunderground looks neat with a band of snow shown all along the Washington-Oregon border.

 

http://www.wunderground.com/wundermap/?lat=48.74696350&lon=-122.49594116&zoom=10

[TT-SEA]

This is quickly turning into a fairly historic event.

 

Still 15 here. Looks like 18 may be the warmest I get today.

 

 

How many times in an arctic situation is the temperature 19 in Hillsboro and 31 in Bellingham during the middle of the day?   

[Perturbance]

8.75" on the ground here.  Temp has warmed to 29°.  Sporadic light flurries now.

Pic from around 11:30 am during the last intense snowfall, almost a carbon copy from December:
http://i.imgur.com/cWrmmjO.jpg
 

[FroYoBro]

The HRRR shows a N-S band of precip moving inland from Lincoln City down to Coos Bay, likely associated with a weak upper-level cold front.

 

That band is also showing up on current radar loops, but it is three hours ahead of the HRRR.

 

We may not have as much time left with this storm as the models believe.

I really doubt it. This thing is just getting going for Portland. 

[Jesse]

How many times in an arctic situation is the temperature 19 in Hillsboro and 31 in Bellingham during the middle of the day?   

 

During situations like this where an extremely suppressed jet delivers the goods down south.

[Efdee]

About 4 inches at LaCenter to Woodland.  22 degrees barometer still dropping. Lewis River divide seems to be a pretty good low level conduit.

[Alex_Snakes]

Must have virga over my head at the moment. I have a clear view of the Olympics right now...

[TT-SEA]

8.75" on the ground here.  Temp has warmed to 29°.  Sporadic light flurries now.

Pic from around 11:30 am during the last intense snowfall, almost a carbon copy from December:

http://i.imgur.com/cWrmmjO.jpg

 

 

 

Good Lord.

 

How many years has Eugene absolutely crushed my northern foothill location so badly?????   

[luterra]

I really doubt it. This thing is just getting going for Portland. 

 

Portland may keep going for a while under the main deformation band.  Down here the forecast was for light snow in the morning becoming heavy in the afternoon.  We got 8+ inches in the morning and will be lucky to get another inch in the next narrow band.  Not much more coming off the ocean after that.

[FroYoBro]

Looks like some heavy snow is approaching the metro area from the coast range. Should be fun!

[luvssnow_spokane]

Good Lord.

 

How many years has Eugene absolutely crushed my northern foothill location so badly?????   

Good Lord!!! I see images like that I fricken want to beat my head against the wall....  This is beyond depressing! <_>

[MR.SNOWMIZER]

How many times in an arctic situation is the temperature 19 in Hillsboro and 31 in Bellingham during the middle of the day?   

A lot of places are even colder than Bellingham in western wa. Still only 26 here.

[MR.SNOWMIZER]

18z says snow for us this weekend.

[TT-SEA]

Good Lord!!! I see images like that I fricken want to beat my head against the wall....  This is beyond depressing! <_>

 

 

I really don't feel that way at all.    I love seeing their fun down there.     I am not a big February and March snow fan as I have mentioned... but that is just my own personal feeling.   I can still recognize how historic this is down there and I imagine its crazy fun for them.     If this was December... I admit that I would be pretty depressed.   

[TT-SEA]

A lot of places are even colder than Bellingham in western wa. Still only 26 here.

 

Yeah... they have had more sun up there.  

[Perturbed Member]

The HRRR shows a N-S band of precip moving inland from Lincoln City down to Coos Bay, likely associated with a weak upper-level cold front.

 

That band is also showing up on current radar loops, but it is three hours ahead of the HRRR.

 

We may not have as much time left with this storm as the models believe.

 

The HRRR called for that heavier precip to start hitting PDX around 3PM, seems to be mostly on track. 

 

Here is the new 18z RPM for the 24 hours from now:

http://www.cascadeaccess.com/~mnelsen/RPM_SNOW_18z.jpg

[TT-SEA]

18z says snow for us this weekend.

 

Not much.

 

About what the GFS was showing for today.   

 

Saturday afternoon is dry... all of Sunday is dry as well.  

 

It tends to paint precip with a broad brush.   

[TT-SEA]

18z says snow for us this weekend.

 

I would go with the ECMWF for the weekend.   Its too close for it to be very wrong.

[TT-SEA]

Clouds thickening here... first time today that I can't see the sun.

 

Feels like it could snow a little now... HRRR and ECMWF might be right.

[HighlandExperience]

Clouds thickening here... first time today that I can't see the sun.

 

Feels like it could snow a little now... HRRR and ECMWF might be right.

 

Ya clouds have thickened quite a bit since this morning. Totally sunny this morning. We might be able to pull a flake or two out this evening after all.

[TT-SEA]

18Z GFS shows solid precip up here on Monday.

 

Of course that is probably rain with an 850mb temp of 0C.

[Deweydog]

This is surreal.  

[whitechristmas]

Heard Nick Allard (ch. 8 Portland) say about an hour a go that he thinks the Sat. storm will be no big deal. Says one model he saw showed this and that he's waiting to see it on others before he changes the forecast. Said less moisture and maybe no freezing rain. Anybody seeing this too? That's crappy! Very blizzardy here! Hard for the snow to stick and accumuate, but awesome! Want MORE though, duh!
 

[MR.SNOWMIZER]

I really don't feel that way at all.    I love seeing their fun down there.     I am not a big February and March snow fan as I have mentioned... but that is just my own personal feeling.   I can still recognize how historic this is down there and I imagine its crazy fun for them.     If this was December... I admit that I would be pretty depressed.   

I'm with you on this. And what is cool is the amount of cold air we have had the last few winters. Jim will be sad though.

[SilverFallsAndrew]

Tomorrow evening and overnight look to be a huge storm in the Willamette Valley. The 18z parks that low offshore and just throws moisture over the cold air.

[TT-SEA]

This is surreal.  

 

And the radar shows the real fun is just beginning.

 

More than twoish now???   

[MR.SNOWMIZER]

This is surreal.  

Why.

[TT-SEA]

I'm with you on this. And what is cool is the amount of cold air we have had the last few winters. Jim will be sad though.

 

 

No... he will be thrilled that SEA is at 28 in the middle of the day.  

 

The lack of sun is the big difference between the 31 yesterday and the 28 today.

[Weather101]

Band of snow developing near Tacoma and pushing north?

[TT-SEA]

Also... the radar is becoming more active up here as well.

 

It shows that Jim's location is actually about to see some flurries at least.    My location might be soon to follow.

[MR.SNOWMIZER]

Just seen a few flurries here in port orchard.

[TT-SEA]

Just seen a few flurries here in port orchard.

 

Interesting... you are well north of the precip band on the radar.

[HighlandExperience]

Also... the radar is becoming more active up here as well.

 

It shows that Jim's location is actually about to see some flurries at least.    My location might be soon to follow.

 

Yup looks like a weak little band is trying to push through Pierce and King County.