August 2015 in the Pacific Northwest

[Tyler Mode]

The satellite pic shows most of Washington covered in smoke.

 

I'm curious if anyone has pictures of the "wall of smoke" seen advancing westward.

 

Notice the level of the smoke is below about 8,000' as the tops of the mountains are sticking out.

[Front Ranger]

The skies are actually a little smoky here as well, although not nearly that thick. Expected to continue the next couple days with NW flow bringing in the smoke from the PNW fires.

 

 

[MossMan]

Skies are completely obscured by smoke now in my area, and can definitely smell it as well.

[FroYoBro]

Pretty crazy how smokey it is out there. I can even smell it a little inside the house. 

[Karl Bonner]

The cold upper-level trough cannot move over us, because the Warm Blob out in the Pacific is grabbing hold and devouring it for lunch. 

 

What will the maps look like tonight?  Death ridge over the PNW again or something?  As I've said before, some of the daily records in August look pretty weak.  (Today 8/22, the record high at KDLS airport in Dallesport, is only 99 degrees!)

[SilverFallsAndrew]

Only 66 at PDX as of 11am... I'm wondering if the smoky skies are keeping temps down a little.

[luminen]

Hilo's dew point is 77F right now, which is pretty high for them (usually in low 70s this time of year). The high dew point this month there is 79F and it's been pretty consistently high this month. The temperature is also averaging a few degrees above normal this month as well. 

[TT-SEA]

Hilo's dew point is 77F right now, which is pretty high for them (usually in low 70s this time of year). The high dew point this month there is 79F and it's been pretty consistently high this month. The temperature is also averaging a few degrees above normal this month as well. 

 

 

You are the king of random posts. 

 

83 and cloudy right now in Columbia, South Carolina.    Humid as well.  

[luminen]

Scratch that. Hilo now has a heat index of 101F (dp@ 80F). 

 

Not too common...

[Front Ranger]

At first I thought he was referring to Hillsboro (HIO)...

[Jesse]

That trough early next week better not end up digging offshore and pumping a bunch of SSW flow over us.

 

I can tell it wants to. I can see it in its eyes.

Good call Jesse!

[GHweatherChris]

Good call Jesse!

Already giving you self props? Hmmm

[MossMan]

The smoke has increased up here through out the day but it sounds like the winds have been helping the firefighting efforts over there so I will gladly take it.

[Jesse]

Already giving you self props? Hmmm

Model consensus is now solid that the trough will dig offshore much of next week.

[SilverFallsAndrew]

A glimmer of hope toward next weekend...

[Jesse]

A glimmer of hope toward next weekend...

Exactly how the early part of this week looked a week prior...

[Front Ranger]

Good call Jesse!

 

That reverse psychology almost worked on the trough.

[Jesse]

That reverse psychology almost worked on the trough.

Nah, I recognized the possibility early on. Despite my love of cold anomalies and their associated wildfires.

[TT-SEA]

Cutting off to the west was always likely given how patterns have evolved this summer. The Canadian was the first to show it and stuck to it for 3 runs before the other models caught up.

[TT-SEA]

Mark pointed this out in his blog yesterday.... very interesting tool which shows the spread of smoke and models it out for 3 days in advance.   It did perfectly for today... looks like it wil begin to clear out tomorrow morning and be confined to east of the Cascades by afternoon and then we should be good for the week ahead.

 

http://viewer.smoke.airfire.org/run/standard/PNW-4km/2015082200

[TT-SEA]

Models are trending troughy and maybe wet for the end of the work week and next weekend.   Cutting off even farther west and throwing up a ridge is becoming less likely.    

[Jesse]

Apparently all of the smoke doesn't inhibit radiational cooling. PDX fell into the 50s this morning without much trouble.

 

Interesting because it seems like it may have played a role in holding yesterday's high temp down. Figured it would keep lows up too, just like cloud cover.

[Kayla]

Good call Jesse!

 

Looks like that reverse psychology is working, thanks Jesse!!

[Jesse]

Looks like that reverse psychology is working, thanks Jesse!!

 

It will be moving in much slower than initially advertised with a longer period of SW flow in front of it. Models seem to be coming around to the idea of moving the whole thing through later this week into the weekend now, but that is a lot later than first modeled (by the GFS and EURO, at least) and beyond the period I was referring to.

[Kayla]

It will be moving in much slower than initially advertised with a longer period of SW flow in front of it. Models seem to be coming around to the idea of moving the whole thing through later this week into the weekend now, but that is a lot later than first modeled (by the GFS and EURO, at least) and beyond the period I was referring to.

 

Better late than never! And mid next week is looking much cooler with no 90's in sight. Seems like a win to me!

[Jesse]

Better late than never! And mid next week is looking much cooler with no 90's in sight. Seems like a win to me!

 

Yes. Don't get me wrong, I am thrilled. Just hope it keeps up.

[Front Ranger]

The bit I read on smoke inhibiting solar radiation, showed that it acts as a low quality cloud. Infrared passes through fine, but ultraviolet doesn't.

 

Yup. Blocks incoming radiation some but doesn't really inhibit outgoing radiation. Kind of like SO2 after volcanic eruptions.

[Deweydog]

Apparently all of the smoke doesn't inhibit radiational cooling. PDX fell into the 50s this morning without much trouble.

 

Interesting because it seems like it may have played a role in holding yesterday's high temp down. Figured it would keep lows up too, just like cloud cover.

It was really apparent back in 2001 when south Okanogan County was seriously socked in and highs were in the mid-upper 70's and the Omak area was 100+. Lows were completely unaffected. It's a cold enthusiast's wet dream.

[Jesse]

It was really apparent back in 2001 when south Okanogan County was seriously socked in and highs were in the mid-upper 70's and the Omak area was 100+. Lows were completely unaffected. It's a cold enthusiast's wet dream.

 

Nah, it's really smokey and nasty out there. We camped at Mount Rainier the night before last and couldn't even see it by late yesterday morning, even though we were only about five miles away. There are better ways to achieve cold anomalies without these cold anomaly-triggered wildfires.

[Deweydog]

Nah, it's really smokey and nasty out there. We camped at Mount Rainier the night before last and couldn't even see it by late yesterday morning, even though we were only about five miles away. There are better ways to achieve cold anomalies without these cold anomaly-triggered wildfires.

I'll take a nicely capped, stagnated cold season inversion over this crap any day! Freezing fog beats ash accumulation!

[MossMan]

The smoke is finally starting to clear out up here. Seemed like today was worse than yesterday with the smoky conditions. Just getting my lungs ready for our trip over to the Sun Lakes area next week.

[TT-SEA]

Moon here just went from orange to white... think the smoke just cleared this area.

[TT-SEA]

Canadian still holding back later this week and into the weekend.    Much less aggressive than GFS.

[Deweydog]

Things taking on a bit of a 2013 feel next week?

[Jesse]

Things taking on a bit of a 2013 feel next week?

The lows well into the 50s the next 3-4 mornings will probably feel pretty soupy.

[Deweydog]

The lows well into the 50s the next 3-4 mornings will probably feel pretty soupy.

Okay.

[Jesse]

Euro ensembles were even more adamant than the operational in moving a deep trough through on Fri/Sat, FWIW.

[Jesse]

Okay.

Hard to tell exactly what you were referring to. Vague post.

[Deweydog]

Hard to tell exactly what you were referring to. Vague post.

Lots of southerly flow with the potential for little/no progression to what could be a moist pattern.

 

Don't freak...

[richard mann]

(.. cross-reference.)

 

http://theweatherforums.com/index.php/topic/889-summer-2015-colder-air-mass-movement-and-distribution-projections/?p=83402