December 20, 2008
A little early
Very light snow has made it into SW Washington already....the models often start the light snow 2-3h late..and this an example of it. So light snow is now falling from Shelton to the SW and should get to PS by 2-3 PM.....the easterly flow will slow it up a bit...also as of 3 PM the easterly flow really hasn't revved up yet...slower than the model's suggested....but the pressure difference across the mountains has increased substantially.
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A Near Perfect Forecast of Yesterday's Event. The Next Windstorm Comes into View
The next time someone makes a weatherperson joke, remember the nearly perfect forecast for yesterday's wind event over Washington. No l...
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Mother Nature seems to have forgotten about the current strong El Nino and the record warmth of the past month. Massive snow will fall over ... -
The latest model forecasts are consistent: an unusually powerful storm with extreme low pressure will develop rapidly offshore on Monday a...
I'm supposed to attend a wedding on Capitol Hill at 6 PM and a reception in the same area. I live in Ballard, so I'm more than a little concerned about getting back down the hill.
ReplyDeleteAm I overreacting or should I just not go?
Snow falling at Oyster Bay (sea level).
ReplyDeleteStill a lot of snow in the trees.
Several inches already on the ground.
23.5 degrees.
Hi Cliff,
ReplyDeleteSnowing here pretty well now in Olympia.
Amazed at how many people are out still trying to get some last minute shopping done I gather.
Almost no has chains on and driving too fast and surprised how many people are tailgating!
Roy, I'm sure you'll be fine but watch for those others on the road!
Roy,
ReplyDeleteI'm a wimp. I'd bail. Did you see the buses hanging over I-5 after sliding through the guard rail? Not sure it's going to be much better today.
My word verification word is "anasho" -- "a no show". LOL
Roy - If the wedding is an important one to be at, maybe see if there is a hotel near the reception that has openings...just in case you decide to not try to get back to Ballard for the evening.
ReplyDeleteBrier 1:27p Clouds rolled in 1-1.5 hours ago, temp rose a couple degrees to 25F. A few snowflakes starting to fall here...teasing me.
ReplyDeleteWaiting for this storm is like waiting for Santa Clause. I keep jumping up to look outside, and I am so excited!
ReplyDeleteits been snowing here in chehalis since 11 am
ReplyDeleteIts starting to get breezy out here in Carnation. The temp has risen 10 degrees in the last hour and the birds are frantically stuffing themselves with suet, sunflowere seed and cracked corn. Don't forget your feathered friends need sustanence to weather this storm. Set out some peanut butter if you have nothing else.
ReplyDeleteI just found your blog and I love it! I'm sure I will be checking back frequently!
ReplyDeleteIt's 2:15 and all is quiet here in Lake City, Seattle. No sign of any snow yet.
ReplyDeleteAny thoughts on whether planes will be taking off at Sea-Tac tomorrow morning? We have an 8AM to Chicago. We considered getting a room near the airport, but if planes are grounded we don't want to be stuck in a hotel with two young kids.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful blue sky this morming...slate grey by noon up here in Bellingham.
ReplyDeleteJust watched a neighbor pour water over his car (which ran off onto his steep driveway & is now frozen) in preparation for a drive on compact snow & ice in our alley. The best part about this weather is the entertainment that goes with it!
ReplyDeletePoulsbo. Gray skies, and a steady sprinkling of fine/tiny snow flakes. 2:33 pm. No wind yet.
ReplyDeleteStarting to see the tops of trees sway here near downtown Renton.
ReplyDeleteMy sister on Snoqualmie Ridge says its getting windy and the sky is darkenin. Ominous....
ReplyDeleteNear Deer Park, between Port Angeles and Sequim
ReplyDelete- Snowing lightly, but it is amazing how fast it seems to be accumulating. We are in a very in between spot & are waiting to see if we get 3" or 24". Love it!
all calm in Lake Forest Park. No snow, no wind at 2:45 pm
ReplyDeleteI live in Portland now but love the Cliff Mass blog. It has been basically blizzarding here since about 9 this morning, I love it but am not eager for the predicted transition to freezing rain. That's one of the few things I don't like about Portland, it is much more prone than Seattle to that most treacherous form of precip.
ReplyDeleteSnowlakes have arrived on Lake Union at 2:52pm.
ReplyDeleteWelcome!
has started to snow ever so lightly here in the Columbia City area of Seattle. and so it begins...
ReplyDeletesnow starting to fall on the UW campus! 2:57pm
ReplyDeleteThe wind is just starting to pick up here in West Seattle on a bluff above Beach Drive. Small flakes of snow and decreasing visibility to the south. Love this blog and am ordering your book Cliff. Now I can't see the south end of Blake Island...directly across. Here it comes and Good Luck all.
ReplyDeleteSince about 2:45pm there's been steady light snow and a very gentle southerly breeze at Salmon Bay near The Locks.
ReplyDeleteJust starting to snow on Bainbridge Island (3:00 pm)
ReplyDeleteThe birds are gone. This morning I had junkos and finches at the feeder. A couple of hours ago they disappeared. I wonder where they went. It's snowing in Port Townsend now.
ReplyDeleteGreenwood in N. Seattle is starting to see some light snow coming down (if it were rain, I'd call it 'mist')...looking forward to the drama tonight, as long as the power stays on!
ReplyDeleteLight steady snow here on Vashon. The main highway is fine. The Thriftway is packed with shoppers. There is another grocery store here...Sorry, that's not weather-related.
ReplyDeleteStarted snowing here in Kingston a little before 3PM. Increasing, little flakes. No wind.
ReplyDeleteCasey Burns
Light snow at the airport...3:10pm...
ReplyDeleteSnowing in Port Angeles with a very light wind. The warnings map http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/sew/
ReplyDeletegives a remarkably clear delineation of the Olympic rainshadow. Blizzard everywhere but here. If they're right.
It just started snowing in the Mount Baker neighborhood. ~ 3:15 PM
ReplyDelete3:15 moderate snow fall in West Seattle
ReplyDeleteLight and steady snowfall on Capitol Hill, Seattle at 300 feet ASL at 3:15pm.
ReplyDeleteSnow just started here in Shoreline - 3:15 p.m. Very interested in how it's going to go!
ReplyDeleteSnowing at the Shoreline Library (that is closing at 4PM).
ReplyDelete3:20 pm - snow falling in Port Townsend. Looks like the weather from the west & the weather from the south got to us at the same time.
ReplyDeleteNo snow yet here in Redmond, near Microsoft
ReplyDeleteFinally: Flurries in Mountlake Terrace.
ReplyDeleteSnowing in Leschi/Mt Baker- lightly and lovely.
ReplyDeleteSSL
snowing near Maltby; no wind. A great swarm/gaggle/clutch of chickadees eating suet and seeds.
ReplyDeletesnowing at Phinney/Greenlake
ReplyDeleteBe sure to also follow on
ReplyDeletehttp://www.tweetweather.com/weather/location/seattle
Just starting here in South Renton!
ReplyDeleteSnowing lightly on north side of Queen Anne at 3:30 p.m. No wind. My street is blocked by a car (SUV)which tried to go down the hill this morning and slid into a neighbor's car. There it sits, sideways in the street until the ice thaws. Great blog, Cliff.
ReplyDeleteCery light snow in Wedgwood, Seattle now.
ReplyDeleteOops I mean "very" light snow although it is getting thicker by the minute LOL
ReplyDeleteReporting from the Four Corners area of Maple Valley. The snow (small flakes) has been falling for an hour or more. The wind gusts have been steadily increasing. I'm watching swirling clouds of snow "dust" blowing off of my neighbor's house as I type this. We're definitely in the High Wind Zone here...
ReplyDeleteWe're planning for a loss of power but not at all looking forward to that. It's much colder than the Big Storm two years ago. But who knows? Maybe the power will stay on. (Wishful thinking, I know!)
2008-12-20 3.36 pm- light steady snow in Issaquah started ~20 minutes ago.
ReplyDeleteHere at Alki (about 20 feet above sea level) my fresh swept deck has almost disappeared.
ReplyDeleteVery gray, calm and dry here in Bellingham. Getting suited up for fun snow travels this evening. Much easier to keep the cold out than the damp! I am happy til Tuesday I think.
ReplyDeleteHere in Monroe the winds are just starting to pick up as of 3:45pm. No snow yet...
ReplyDeleteRoy- snowing on Capitol Hill
ReplyDeletePurdy-Olalla area. Started snowing about an hour ago, very lightly at first. More now, but still tiny flakes. At sea level roads were a little wet, but packed snow farther uphill. No noticeable wind yet.
ReplyDeleteLight snow @ 3:40 in the Kingsgate area of Kirkland.
ReplyDeleteBallard has had light showers for about 45 minutes but the intensity has picked up in the last 5 or so.
ReplyDeletebeautiful light snow on our walk around Greenlake. It's definatly snowing harder than it was 30 minutes ago.
ReplyDeleteYes!!! First flakes here in SE Auburn around 2pm, snowing pretty good now at 3:45pm with a good dusting. Temp 23.2 and a very light NE wind. Really hoping the easterlies stay in Enumclaw so the snow piles up! It's going to be fun night for snow lovers.
ReplyDeleteIt's been snowing here in Ballard since at least 3:30 PM. Started out as a very light "dust" falling but now is picking up. Flakes still pretty small, but lots of it falling.
ReplyDeleteSnow is coming in fast and furious on Beacon Hill...began about 20 minutes ago
ReplyDeleteIt's been snowing here in Federal Way for about an hour now but very light to no wind. Barometer is 29.64 and going down but very slowly.
ReplyDeleteLight snow and still in Carnation. The birds are gone to where birds go
ReplyDelete3:56pm Light snow light breeze Issaquah Plateau -Klahanie Neighborhood.....wonder how much snow and wind we'll get?!
ReplyDeleteI am here in Duvall. Nothing starting yet. Sure hope we don't get a repeat of 2003.
ReplyDeleteYeomalt Cabin - Bainbridge Island:
ReplyDeleteWind -calm; 29 degrees; moderate fine snow with light accumulation since 2:30pm.
Snowing real good in Fairwood/Renton, with a decent wind too
ReplyDeleteMy $.02 It's finally started here in Woodinville around 4pm with light breezes, but they are picking up a little. Temperature is dropping, now at 23F.
ReplyDeleteIn Fremont a steady fall of dust-like snow covering our icy street. No wind yet.
ReplyDeleteSunset Hill, Ballard, about 250 ft ASL, moderately dense fine snow, sidewalks are completely coated....
ReplyDeleteNo wind to speak of....
We live on the west side of the snoqualmie valley right across from Duvall up on an east-facing ridge. Forecasts say "strong east winds on the west slopes of the cascades", but I think those winds funnel down the passes, not uniformly down all the west slopes of the mountains. It could be blowing sixty at north bend and be almost dead calm here
ReplyDeleteThis is fantastic! I love the weater community I have found on this blog. I am a self confessed weather junkie and nothing is better than a good storm. Right now in Kingston (NE Kitsap) we have about 1/2 inch of snow that has fallen in the last 40 minutes. They are small flakes but thick. I have lived through blizzard conditions (the upper peninsula of Michigan(yep, Michigan Tech))so I know it isn't that bad. However, visability is about 1500 feet right now.
ReplyDeleteSnowing in Port Townsend, lightly as of 4pm
ReplyDeleteVaughn Bay, Case Inlet
ReplyDelete.75 inches so far this afternoon at sea level. Wind north 1-5 mph.
Skagit County, Samish Island. Still and quiet as stone.
ReplyDeleteRe: Zephyr
ReplyDeleteSay ya to the UP, eh?
Will we have thundersnow again??
ReplyDeleteSnowing heavy in Tacoma, streets are covered and visibility is extremely limited. No wind........yet
ReplyDeleteSnowing hard with tiny flakes in Bellevue (Phantom Lake) at 210' elevation just west of Lake Sammamish. Very light breeze, not much to speak of really. But we have almost an inch of fresh accumulation already.
ReplyDeleteTemp 25.7 and barometer 29.77 and falling.
Cliff,
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for your blog. I don't know how many people I've pointed towards it in the last two weeks.
I have an early vote for the naming of this event:
"THE SOLSTICE STORM OF '08"
It's been snowing on the west hill of Auburn for 2 hours now - covering shoveled driveways and even dusting main arterials. Very light wind moving the tops of the tallest trees. Our house backs up to a greenbelt. About an hour beofr the snow started about 15 birds were gorging on seeds in the yard. There were three woodpeckers scattedered pecking trees. This morning a hummingbird (poor thing) came to my kitchen window and seemed to be begging me for nectar so I relented and put some in the feeder. It is partially forzen and covered with snow drift, but the hummingbird has been there feeding all day. I also saw it chase off a second hummingbird that came to feed. Snow seems to be stopping ...
ReplyDeleteI want to call it "WYZZYRD BLAST 9000"
ReplyDeleteAgain, a nice thrust-vault earthquake would really top off the evening!
ReplyDeleteNobody thought the stock market would slip, either!
NE Portland has had the perfect snowstorm today: east wind from the Columbia River Gorge + moisture from the west. The closer to the Gorge, the colder the temperatures and stronger the winds.
ReplyDeleteI wish there were a blog like this for PDX...anybody know of one?
Saw a flock (or is it gaggle?) of elegant white geese fly by Ballard in a V pointing south. Never seen them before. A little black on their wingtips. Snow geese?
ReplyDeleteIn NE Seattle, light steady snow. No wind.
ReplyDeleteAnonymus
ReplyDeleteSay ya HEY to the UP!
Smile
Wind light out here in Sammamish... no snow yet...
ReplyDeletehttp://www.seattlebuskers.com/wx for data!
5pm West Seattle. mild dusting of snow, air is still with no wind.
ReplyDeleteThe weather report caused most of our guests to cancel for our annual Solstice potluck. All are sitting home scared.
$300 and two days of preparation down the drain.
Not to mention the Fremont Arts Council is likely going to go bankrupt because of their cancellation of their winter fundraiser.
People who moved to Seattle need to take weather reports with a grain of salt and learn to brave the weather!
Not a twig stirring yet, still waiting upslope of Marysville.
ReplyDeleteSounds like everyone is getting very small, fine snowflakes. I wonder what determines size and shape of flakes?
ReplyDeleteBIRDERS - birds and critters need water too, especially when everything is frozen!
I cast my vote for "Solstice Storm", nice tag to whoever came up with it.
For those of you interested in current Seattle wind speeds, here are the WSDOT bridges stats:
ReplyDelete520 - http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/traffic/bridges/sr520/
I90 - http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/traffic/bridges/i90/default.aspx
Just for fun, you could try to correlate the real time data with Cliff's computer model charts that he attached to his previous post.
It is like a Blizzard in Bellevue. An inch of ice on the roads in places still left from before. The snow started about an hour ago, it never made it over 27 in downtown Bellevue. Now, the fine snow is falling heavily. Police are directing traffic.
ReplyDeleteI also saw a large gaggle of white geese with black wingtips fly over Issaquah this morning at around noon. I'm sure they were snow geese. I've seen them up around Mt. Vernon, but I've never seen them down here before.
ReplyDelete"Solstice Storm 08"
ReplyDeletegets my vote!
What can we put out for birds if we do not have seed, etc? I saw a mention of peanut butter - smear some on tree branches? Nuts?
ReplyDeleteI have been seeing them around looking for food and I want to help but am unprepared...any specifics would be appreciated.
Thanks!
Ahhhh! Nothing like the hot tub when the water is 95 degrees and the air is 25! The open-air cabana keeps most of the snow out but enough breezed in to cool our faces... lovely. The kids were really jazzed about being outside barefoot in the snow and not being cold. LOL
ReplyDeleteThe breeze is light now but I am guessing it will be worse later tonight. Stay safe everyone... I can't wait to read Cliff's reviews of how the models panned out. It does look to be a so far, so good kind of thing.
I am also curious about what determines snowflake size. I guess it has to do with the winds and circulation aloft, and how many times the snow circles through the cloud before falling... the little tiny flakes like we're getting now probably don't drift around building size in the clouds for long at all before they fall/blow to the ground. Big fat flakes dawdle around up there and get coated a few times (or have more time to build some size). Am I right?
Dude- it's been a while since your last post. this is an historical event. let's hear some thoughts!
ReplyDeletesnow has pretty much stopped here in east olympia. and there's been no wind.
ReplyDeletekeep warm.