Karl's Weather Discussions

Last week was a very interesting pattern, given the season.  We had a full week of “Winter In April” weather – including a historic April snowstorm for Portland/Vancouver and temperatures more typical of late January or early February.  There was also an impressive number of thunder and hail storms across the region, probably the best outbreak in the time I have lived on the west side. There are several points that stick out here:  Snow.  The Monday morning snowstorm was,…

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Wow!  After an incredible 79-degree afternoon Thursday (75 at PDX), we have flipped the seasonal switch, going from June to February in just three days. Today’s high of 46 at PDX was the coldest April day in 19 years…and we have more of the same for most of the upcoming week! As I write this at 9pm Sunday, it’s 36 in Orchards with a steady light rain falling.  The air smells like winter and it just has the vibe of…

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In the Pacific Northwest, springtime is generally the time of year with the greatest day-to-day variability in our high temperatures.  While the daily normal high temps rise only gradually between April and early June, there is a wider range of temps possible on any given day. (In fall the reverse is true: average temps drop off rapidly, though there isn’t typically a huge deviation from the seasonal norm.) The next few days we are going to see both sides of the spring weather coin. …

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Whew, March 2022 in the Portland Metro was a boring month, climatologically speaking!  Temperatures were just slightly  (1.5 deg. F) above the 30-year normal, and rainfall was nearly an inch below normal.  If you take the assumption that our climate is “supposed” to be gradually warming, you could argue that it was about as normal of a March as we can get in the 3rd decade of the 21st century.  The first 70-degree day at PDX occurred on March 27,…

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(A quick reminder that during noteworthy weather events, you can find quick updates on my Facebook weather page.  Check it anytime there is flooding, snow, wind, heat or cold – these mini-blogs contain the finer details as the event unfolds!)   Well that was fun, at least by late February standards.  In the middle of our cold blast, a weak slider system dropped out of British Columbia and gave the metro area snow, ranging from a trace to 1″.  My…

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For winter weather nerds in the Pacific Northwest, mid-February is traditionally a tough time to reckon with.  The sun angle is rapidly inceasing and our normal daily temperatures in the lowlands are beginning to creep upward.  The last decade aside, February is historically not as good as December or January from major snowfalls and cold weather episodes.  Often if there is no cold air showing up on the maps by February 15 or 16, it’s appropriate to “stick a fork”…

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It’s been a terrible 2nd half of winter for cold and snow lovers in the Pacific Northwest.  After a strong start to the season, things died down a month ago and there’s no sign of an active pattern picking back up in the next 10-12 days either. But if the weather remains boring long enough, a different kind of excitement can develop as the February sun increases in strength.  Late this week, we are looking at a classic ‘False Spring’…

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It sure has been a dull few weeks in the Pacific Northwest!  After an active start to winter, things really calmed down after the 1st week of January.  Believe it or not, PDX has seen 4.92″ of rain this month, which is very close to normal.  But most of that came in the first week; for the past 3 weeks there has been less than an inch of total rain.  So at this point you’d be forgiven for thinking it…

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A new calendar year has begun, and a week-long cold spell in the Pacific Northwest is ending (at least for the West Side!).  A push of milder air and south wind has begun today, which should lead to classic liquid rain later this afternoon and evening.  This cold weather was felt differently, depending on your region and your elevation.  Here in the Portland-Vancouver area, the cold and snow were rather “weak sauce.”  The event began on the night of December…

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Merry Christmas!  As I write this around 10am, it’s 37 degrees outside in my Orchards neighborhood with light rain.  I don’t see any signs of slush mixing in…but I imagine a few hundred feet up in the hills a few miles east, there’s a wintry mix or maybe even snow. This morning’s 12z GFS showed an 850mb temp of -5.5C for 10am, and a “hole” in shower activity over Portland and Vancouver.  In fact it was dry for most of…

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