November 23, 2010

Amazing Videos and the Latest Snow Totals

Last night there was blizzard-like conditions around our area...with the Hood Canal and environs being particularly hard hit. Check out this video from Silverdale on the Kitsap Peninsula courtesy of Dale Ireland. Their power is still out...



http://www.drdale.com/lapse/snow101122canon.mov

The conditions were treacherous last night on the city hills...and it didn't take a lot of snow/ice to make the roads impassable. This is one of the most amazing videos I have seen on this topic and the music really works:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rhZCyQ3emQg

Multiply this by all the incidents across the city and the state for the entire winter and it is clear that roadway ice is the most serious meteorological threat of all!

I can help myself..this is from an earlier Portland storm and is beyond belief (provided by natchrl8r):
http://www.youtube.com/user/SuperVid4u#p/a/u/2/YmVh56_lz7w

Perhaps what we need is a law making it ILLEGAL to drive on inclined streets in dangerous conditions.

Tonight the temperatures will head down to the lower teens and even single digits in the western side of the state. And tomorrow will be sunny, but cold.

Thursday will be the transition day to warmer temperatures...but will we get snow as the warm air comes in? Will examine that tomorrow.

And finally, the NWS has released the latest snow totals from the storm. It really hard on the north side of the Olympics:

..SNOWFALL TOTALS THROUGH TUESDAY MORNING...

SNOWFALL TOTALS LESS THAN 1 INCH WERE GENERALLY NOT LISTED.
COCORAHS OBSERVATIONS ARE TAKEN ONCE A DAY...GENERALLY BETWEEN
5 AND 8 AM.

SNOWFALL DEPTH OBSERVATION
(IN) (IN) TYPE

CLALLAM COUNTY

SEQUIM 5.4 SW 13.0 15 CO
ELWHA 1 ENE 11.0 SP
PORT ANGELES 2.5 SSW 9.7 14 CO
SEQUIM 5.5 NNW 8.7 CO
MOUNT PLEASANT 4 WNW 7.6 SP
N COVILLE (THRU 12PM) 7.0 SP
FORKS 6.9 WSW 1.0 2 CO
_______________________________________________

KING COUNTY

NORTH BEND 3 ESE 13.0 SP
NORTH BEND 2.8 SE 9.5 12 CO
ENUMCLAW 4 WNW 7.0 SP
RENTON 3.2 E 7.0 7 CO
NORTH BEND 5.4 ESE 6.3 11 CO
ISSAQUAH (EL 300 FT) 6.0 7 CO
AUBURN 8.2 SE 5.5 8 CO
LAKEKLAND NORTH 5.1 CO
COVINGTON 1.1 NE 5.0 CO
NEWPORT HILLS 1.9SSE 5.0 CO
RENTON 3.6 SSE 4.7 CO
KENT 1.7 SSE 4.5 CO
ISSAQUAH 3 SSW (EL 1375 FT) 4.5 NW
AUBURN 1 S 3.5 4 SP
SEATTLE 3.0 WNW 3.0 CO
SEATTLE 5.1 SE 3.2 CO
BELLEVUE 0.8 S 3.0 CO
SEATTLE-TACOMA AIRPORT 2.7 MT
SAMMAMISH 1.7 NNE 2.5 CO
KIRKLAND 0.8 SW 2.4 CO
ISSAQUAH 3.6 NW 2.3 CO
FEDERAL WAY 2.5 NNE 2.3 CO
KENMORE 2.0 NW
MADISON PARK ( SEATTLE ) 2.0 NW
NWS SEATTLE 2.0 MT
SHORELINE 1.7 NW 1.5 CO
_______________________________________________

SNOHOMISH COUNTY

MARYSVILLE 4 N 5.0 SP
LYNNWOOD 3.0
CLEARVIEW 0.8 SW 3.0 CO
STANWOOD 0.7 N 2.5 CO
LAKE STEVENS 0.9 NW 2.3 CO
BOTHELL 4.9 NNW 2.0 CO
EVERETT 3.6 S 2.0 CO
ARLINGTON 1.7 NNE 2.0 CO
MILL CREEK 2.0 NW
EDMONDS 2.0
BOTHELL 4.9 NNW 2.0 NW
MONROE 1.8
BRIER 0.8 NE 1.5 CO
_______________________________________________

PIERCE COUNTY

EATONVILLE (EL 800 FT) 13.0 17 SP
EATONVILLE 7.4 NNW 9.8 12 CO
PUYALLUP 5 E 6.5 SP
FREDERICKSON 5 SE 6.0 SP
PUYALLUP 2.1 NW 4.0 CO
SUMMIT 1.1 WSW 4.0 CO
PARKLAND 0.9 NE 3.9 CO
STEILACOOM 0.4 NW 2.5 CO
PUYALLUP 2.1 ESE 2.5 4 CO
TACOMA 3.1 NW 1.0
_______________________________________________

LEWIS COUNTY

ELBE 5 SSE (MINERAL) 10.0 SP
CINEBAR 1.7 SW 5.5 8 CO
ONALASKA 2.8 NE 5.1 8 CO
WINLOCK 0.5 W 4.7 CO
MOSSYROCK 3 ESE 4.0 SP
_______________________________________________

MASON COUNTY

SHELTON 5.2 NNW 6.5 CO
SHELTON 6.1 E 5.0 CO
POTLATCH 2 N (THRU 1230) 4.0 SP
SHELTON 2.8 ESE 2.9 5 CO
_______________________________________________

KITSAP COUNTY

KINGSTON 2.7 SSE 6.0 CO
INDIANOLA 0.9 NNW 4.8 CO
BREMERTON 5 SSW (GOLD MTN) 5.0 SP
SUQUAMISH 4.0 CO
KINGSTON 1.7 WNW 3.7 CO
BETHEL 5 SSE 2.8 SP
BREMERTON 2.8 NE 2.5 CO
_______________________________________________

ISLAND COUNTY

LANGELY 4.1 NW 2.8 CO
COUPEVILLE 0.5 WNW 2.1 CO
FREELAND 1 WSW 2.0 SP
_______________________________________________

THURSTON COUNTY

ROCHESTER 1.3 NNE 4.0 5 CO
YELM 6.3 S 3.9 6 CO
OLYMPIA 1.3 S 3.2 CO
OLYMPIA 3.1 SSE 2.2 3 CO
OLYMPIA 7.0 NNE 1.8 CO
_______________________________________________

JEFFERSON COUNTY

CHIMACUM 1.8 SW 4.5 CO
PORT HADLOCK 0.7 NW 4.5 CO
PORT TOWNSEND NW 1(THRU 1PM) 4.5 SP
PORT TOWNSEND 2.2 W 4.1 CO
CHIMACUM 5.1 S 4.0 CO
PORT TOWNSEND 4.6 S 3.0 CO
_______________________________________________

SKAGIT COUNTY

ANACORTES 4.9 S 2.4 CO
CONCRETE 4.9 ESE 1.6 4 CO
MOUNT VERNON 1.1 E 0.8 CO
_______________________________________________

SAN JUAN COUNTY

LOPEZ ISLAND 2.2 WSW 1.0 CO
FRIDAY HARBOR 2.8 S 1.0 CO

_______________________________________________

GRAYS HARBOR COUNTY

ELMA 0.5 W 1.0 2 CO

MT = AUGMENTED ASOS OBSERVATION
CO = COCORAHS
SP = SKYWARN SPOTTER
NW = NWS EMPLOYEE

$$

DAMICO/FELTON
WEATHER.GOV/SEATTLE


20 comments:

  1. Unbelievable video and why I did NOT bus commute this morning, and probably won't tomorrow. Let's see, I could commute 2 hours each way, or start working at home 30 minutes and early and later...

    But what about Wednesday and Thursday? Are we out of the woods? Will it be a snow to rain, or just a snow to...SNOW scenario for Thanksgiving?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Cliff, any ideas on what could transpire as we get into Wednesday evening and into turkeyday?

    ReplyDelete
  3. I'm at 550 ft of elevation in Sammamish and we have 3 inches as of today at 4:30pm. I wonder where the Sammamish measurements are taken. It's highly variable out here.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Kind of wild in Port Angeles, last night as well. Rate of snowfall in the afternoon was 1.5 inches per hour. Much rather deal with snow than black ice, however!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Could you explain (decrypt) the snowfall total listing a bit more?
    For example:
    SEQUIM 5.4 SW 13.0 15 CO

    OK.. "Co" is how the reading was taken, but does Sequim have 5, 13 or 15 inches of snow?
    Given the compass "SW", one of the numbers might be a wind direction.
    thanks

    ReplyDelete
  6. Two things:

    1. I thought Metro was taking accordion buses out of service when they switched to snow routes? Yesterday and today I saw several accordion buses in service, and it was an accordion bus jack-knifing that caused I5 backups last night.

    2. The one plow I saw out actually plowing didn't have his plow fully deployed. There was half an inch between the plow and the pavement (the right corner was low enough to hit the snow, but that was it)? Incompetence? Equipment malfunction? Or a return to the "snow-packing" of 2008 rather than actually plowing?

    ReplyDelete
  7. Jim Forman has hit the big time again with an appearance on NBC nightly news with Brian Williams talking about "The Storm".

    The last time he achieved such grateness was when the city bus went off the bridge a few years ago.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Thanks for the link to the video. My stomach was in a knot for 5 minutes!
    Out here on the Key Peninsula (west Pierce county), the big story is trees on power lines, trees on roofs, trees on cars, etc. The north wind played havoc with big old trees that haven't seen big gusts from that direction for years. Folks near us will be out of power for days. Without power, their water pipes will be vulnerable, too.
    Hopefully, a "good" event like this, this early in the season, should encourage more folks to prepare for such events.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Here is a video that is the best advertisement for plowing and sanding and/or staying home I have seen yet!

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YmVh56_lz7w&feature=player_embedded

    ReplyDelete
  10. Cliff, the video from natchrl8r is actually of Portland in 2008. It's good viewing, but it's NOT Seattle.

    It does make it clear, though... snow + ice + hills = do not drive

    Bellevue is dangerous enough even though it's not very hilly here.

    SO... how's your crystal ball? Are my guests going to be able to get from Sammamish to Bellevue near Crossroads for the feast at 4 pm? Dessert at 7?
    Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Cliff, that third video of a previous storm was taken in Portland, OR years ago, not Seattle.

    It made the Internet rounds in 2007. Here is a more full news report.

    I see the UW is open for Wednesday. The comments on that site show many unhappy people. I just hope Peter made it to work at Meadowbrook and back (he has moved out).

    We shall see if the community college is open. Older boy will just take the bus, we'll see about daughter going to her Running Start class.

    We have two new neighbors who both work at the UW. One is from North Carolina and they are loving the snow... though I did tell the little girl to have a grownup to watch for cars as she went down the street (and told her she was welcome to go down our driveway!). The other one is from Colorado, and has discovered the difference between dry blowing snow and snow that has been driven on within a few degrees of freezing (our street is an ice rink).

    ReplyDelete
  12. Any thoughts on why UW has not suspended operations for tomorrow? As we can see from the videos, it is not safe to be on the streets.

    ReplyDelete
  13. http://newsfeed.time.com/2010/11/23/the-great-november-seattle-snowstorm-a-city-shuts-down/

    "Seattle got 2.5 inches of snow.

    Yes, apparently that's all it takes.

    The record-setting snowfall — the previous record of 1.5 inches was set more than 30 years ago, in 1977 — has crippled the city that rarely sees much of the white stuff."

    Please tell me this record is false, because it doesn't sound true.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Oops, I was fooled by facebook. The vid still goes to show what can happen under the right (or wrong!) conditions. Be careful on Thanksgiving morning when a little fresh snow may hide and lubricate the ice.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Whoah, that was Time Magazine propagating the absurdity that Seattle's new record snowfall is 2.5 inches, and the previous was 1.5?? Where the hell did they get that? The record snow events for Seattle are more like 2.5 *feet* or more (1916, 1950.) I recall the New Years 1996-97 event ended up being something like 30 inches on the ground before it turned over to rain.

    And to say the city "rarely sees much of the white stuff" kind of depends on your definition of "rarely." Historically, most winters at some point, sometimes several times.

    ReplyDelete
  16. autostaretx--yeah, it is confusing, but
    SEQUIM 5.4 SW 13.0 15 CO
    is 13" new snow, 15" on ground,
    and the 5.4 SW means the observation was taken 5.4 miles
    southwest of the town center.

    I'm 90% sure of that--when one
    number is missing, or a NW employee lives NW of a town, who
    can say, ha! Meteorolgists struggle with plain language sometimes, heh.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Just curious about the forecast for today and tomorrow (Thanksgiving). It just started snowing (lightly) here in Indianola (Kitsap) where we're still without power...

    ReplyDelete
  18. I have put together a short study on the extraordinary weather in southwestern BC and Washingon State on Monday - http://www.enviro-bc.ca/2010/11/23/unusual-day/

    Let me know what you think.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Danreed -- perhaps they meant 2.5 was the record snowfall for the *day* (the previous record for that day in history being 1.5)?

    I am also very interested about this upcoming moderation...whether it will mean snow/icy conditions before it begins to rain!

    ReplyDelete
  20. I can't believe all of the people squacking about making it illegal to drive on hills and such...it is already ILLEGAL TO LOSE CONTROL OF YOUR VEHICLE. There are many of us out there who are not retarded and:
    A. Plan our routes correctly
    B. Have appropriate experience driving in slick conditions
    C. Own the proper equipment and have practiced with that equipment.
    D. Really more on C- proper equipment doesn't just mean something the car dealership sold you some POS SUV claiming "you can get around in the snow just fine!". PROTIP: The number of wheels driven doesn't mean squat without the right tires and the skill to drive the vehicle in those conditions.
    E. I'm really rehashing this but TIRES ARE THE NUMBER 1 MOST IMPORTANT THING ON YOUR CAR. Period. In any conditions.

    Seattlites and KC METRO in particular please pull your head out of your collective ass and recognize you can't drive. That means CLASSTIME and PRACTICE. Not buying a ****ing SUV.

    ReplyDelete

Please make sure your comments are civil. Name calling and personal attacks are not appropriate.