Weather, Climate, and Other Science Topics
There are many well-known portmanteaus of snow and catastrophic descriptors, with Snowzilla, Snowmageddon, and Snowpocalypse being some of the primary offenders. But what about a more pedestrian snowfall that still inspires joy in the hearts of adults and children everywhere? I prefer “conversational snow” – not only is it an extremely accurate description (yes, a […]
It’s been said that “snow is the most difficult thing to forecast in the Pacific Northwest.” And while I believe this is often true – our terrain, microclimates, and often marginal temperatures can make snow forecasting extraordinarily challenging – I think a corollary is more appropriate. Lowland snow forecasts are, without a doubt, the most […]
As expected, the innocuous, non-sticking snow that was so persistent yesterday quickly ballooned into a full-fledged, crippling lowland snow event last night as heavy band of snow pushed through the Portland metro area. I was out and about with some friends, and it was refreshing to see very few cars out on the roads, as […]
Another day, another poorly-forecast lowland snow event. Our low-pressure system was stronger and faster than modeled, and as a result, it generated more and heavier precipitation than expected. Yesterday’s runs only had a light rain/snow mix at the coast at this morning, but the heavier-than-expected precipitation helped lower snow levels down to the surface there, […]
We probably ended up with approximately an inch of snow at our place in the Woodlawn neighborhood of Northeast Portland from yesterday’s late-season snowstorm. Fellow WeatherTogether blogger Jeff Taylor ended up with 3.3 inches in Happy Valley at 600 feet, and the weather at Boring, OR (7 miles NW of Sandy, OR at 655′) was […]
This will just be a quickie, as I’m getting up early tomorrow to go skiing at Mt. Hood Meadows. But after getting scattered, non-sticking snow showers for much of the day, the Portland metro area is finally seeing a decent shot of lowland snow as a weak band of showers swings through the area! Here’s […]
WE DID IT! In an event that far exceeded my expectations, Western Washington and even parts of Western Oregon saw their first White Christmas since 2008. Our storm made landfall further south than modeled, leading to colder conditions throughout the area and snow instead of rain for many locales. As expected, snow accumulations varied dramatically […]
Well, I’m certainly regretting leaving Portland to come up to Seattle. Our heat in our house isn’t working, so I decided to flee up to my parents’ house in Seattle for warmth. Had I known that Portland was going to get a foot of snow Tuesday night/Wednesday morning, I definitely would have stayed! NW Oregon […]
