The new round of forecast models retains the same story...some cooler air moving in on Saturday and Sunday, but no snow over the western Washington lowlands. Perhaps a few light snow shower near Portland. In fact, it looks like the skies over Puget Sound will clear on Sunday and you will see some sun.
A big issue is that the mountains have not received any new snow in while. Icy and no powder. The only silver lining is that this snowpack is solid and stable. They don't call it Cascade concrete for nothing...so very small avalanche threat.
Here at Holden Village, 11 Miles S Stehekin WA 48.2°N 120.75°W (Elev. 3224 ft), all we have is a thick 3 to 4 foot foundation of ice. No new snow for 2 weeks now but durring the last big rain every avalanche shoot cascaded down that could. Each one has cut down to bare dirt. Since the ice is so solid now we hike out and up to the avalanches to take pictures and survey the trail damage. I have a couple of images on my blog.
ReplyDeleteCascade concrete is actually the heavy wet stuff we get so often, not the icy hard stuff we get sometimes.
ReplyDeleteI set this blog as "Blog of the Day" on blogsphere.com for Friday Jan 23.
ReplyDeleteI'm local, read this blog everyday and have listened to Cliff on KUOW for many years. I even own a copy of the book.
I read this blog to my son who just turned 5. I know he is listening at least some of the time because one day, out of the blue, he asked if we could move to the convergence zone. Why? He said because it is so much more interesting there.
Thanks for the great info, Cliff. I am learning a lot. We have a sailboat and knowing more about the weather is fun and helpful.
So, my son with asthma asks...how soon is the inversion going to clear so that I can go outside again? This weather is seriously cramping my style!
ReplyDeleteCliff, I hope you have some good news for us! Having a 20yo martial artist trying to do his workouts indoors is cramping *my* style, lol!
Lyn in Lynnwood, where the weather is the same as yesterday, and the day before, and the day before, and...
Here is why I do not recommend the "point and click" method of getting a forecast from the National Weather Service forecast.
ReplyDeleteThis is an actual forecast for an area along the east slopes for later this week:
"Thursday Night: A chance of rain. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 19".
19 degrees and RAIN. Yeah right.
So for those of you who use the point and click "pinpoint" forecasts, DON'T DO IT!!
Read the area forecast, which is done by a real human being, who would never think that it would rain with a temp of 19.
Looks like Medford south is setting up for a drought. Northern Cal is already in one. Could be another long fire season down there...
ReplyDeleteIf anyone wants a real treat (and if you've already read everything here), I suggest you go to Joan Neslund's Holden Village blog. What a wonderful story she tells.
ReplyDelete(make sure that when you get to the bottom of the first page of her blog, click on the "older posts" link.
BTW, Ms. Neslund's name links to her blog. Hers is the first comment on this comment set.
ReplyDeleteAnswering a few questions:
ReplyDeleteThe air quality is already starting to improve. The worst is clearly over, with much better vertical mixing this afternoon.
I hate to tell you...the area forecast is also written by a computer! The NWS forecasts create forecast grids...that in turn go to a display generator..
The inversion is breaking down as we speak. But scouring winds have yet to surge into the area. The Burn Ban will be lifted by Noon on Saturday when ventilation returns to normal.
ReplyDeleteAll..mjgrota knows what he says...he is the individual that calls the burn bans!...cliff
ReplyDeletebut in the last snowstorm, didn't they say the snow wouldn't hit seattle?
ReplyDelete