These snow showers are associated with an approaching upper level trough of lower pressure that is providing upward motion that is leading to a band of clouds and weak snow showers (the satellite picture at the same time is shown below).
But this is not the main act. That will occur as the upper trough spawns a tight low pressure center in the lower atmosphere, as illustrated in the surface pressure forecast for 7 PM tonight. An absolutely classical pressure pattern for a snow event over Puget Sound. The low pressure draws in cold air form the north (note the large north-south pressure change) over Puget Sound and pushes moist air from off the Pacific above the low-level cool flow.
Close in to a major weather event, I like to look at the NOAA/NWS High Resolution Rapid Refresh Model--in which a new high resolution forecast is made each hour. Below shows the accumulating snow in time.
There is some light snow reaching Seattle around 11 AM....but this is stage 1 stuff.
By 10 PM tonight, there is a lot of snow as stage 2 revs up ...4-6 inches around Seattle and more to the east. There is going to be a region of heaviest snow where the moist flow off the Pacific converges with the cold flow coming out of the north.
And by 1 AM, there is a bit more around Puget Sound, but much more over northwest Oregon.
The essential point in all this, is that things should not be too bad before roughly 2-3 PM, but by rush hour, the situation should be declining rapidly. The UW is closing around 12:30 PM, which is wise, since it allows folks to be home by mid-afternoon.
Later today I will talk about the next big snow threats... late Sunday/Monday for SW Washington and Oregon and Tuesday for Washington. Today is just a "warm up" as cold air remains in place for most of the week. And no, I won't give a name to the upcoming snow events (but the picture below is a hint)
yep, it just started snowing in Aberdeen.
ReplyDeleteCan you offer a timeline for Southern Vancouver Island?
ReplyDeleteLast night's UW MM5 1.3km WRF 48 hour snowfall forecast already has busted,and the main event hasn't even started.It did not see the warm from that snuck up from the California low.2 1/2" here already,and still snowing.The model only predicted about an inch.It will be interesting to see what this mornings run predicts!
ReplyDeletelake effect on Vancouver Island right now. 15 cm to Vancouver 2 cm! Zero at Whistler. Looks like Victoria might get hammered with that low
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ReplyDeleteSnowzilla it is.
ReplyDeleteThanks for all your great work Cliff!
ReplyDeleteLooks like Whatcom will miss out on this 'fun' this time and on Sunday. About 1 inch fell last night but we may might not see much more, looking at the models.
Do you think the North Interior will get anything with the Tuesday system or is that also aimed south of us?
Cliff, the ensemble has cut the snow estimates in half (the 00 UTC run last night compared to 24 hours earlier, or even 12 hours earlier). It's also changed the winds and temperatures over the next 48 hours significantly. That differs from your analysis here, and I note you're using the HRRR heavily. What am I missing?
ReplyDeleteSnowzilla is fine, but I prefer Frostzilla.
ReplyDeleteAlready got a new dusting to 1/4" out in rural Monroe. We seem to be in the prime Convergence Zone, so I'm going to pretty much assume that we're going to get around 50% more snow than everyone else. :P
ReplyDeleteLight flurries in Port Townsend
ReplyDeleteHow well does SEATAC run in snow conditions like these! I fly back home Saturday evening and am getting very concerned I won’t be able to make it.
ReplyDeleteIn an earlier post Cliff mentioned it might be comparable to “winter of 1996” when all of the passes, the Columbia Gorge, AND Sea-Tac were all closed for at least a couple of days. Western WA was pretty much entirely cut off for a while!
DeleteAnyone have a date for the last such a severe storm hitting Seattle in mid-February. I can't remember any. We have had cold, we have had snow but both??
ReplyDeleteFebruary 1989
DeleteI’m sort of a foul weather follower of your blog, but I gotta say, it’s so nice to have! Thanks for all your hard work on this, Cliff. I know you’d probably got a lot on your mind, too, with this weather and taking the time out to inform us all is such a kind thing to do. Be well and thanks again for all that you do.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy your snowstorm Cliff. Looks exciting. Impressive reflectivities in the HRRR later this afternoon. ed
ReplyDeleteAct One began in Port Hadlock about 9AM.
ReplyDeleteI'm worried about the human factors / group game theory. Schools are being let out 2 hours early. Many people are planning to leave work.
ReplyDeleteI'm wondering if I should leave extra-early in anticipation of others leaving early. Nightmare scenario is everyone leaving early, plus the snowfall early. If the 2" per hour begins at say, 11am, we're screwed.
I think it was 1986. I left work early on Beacon Hill. I went to pick up my wife on Capital Hill. I couldn’t convince her coworkers to leave early. My wife finally relented and we left 90 minutes after I got there. It took us 2 hours to get off Capital Hill. Her coworkers had to stay the night at work.
DeleteThis map is only showing an inch total for us (southern vancouver island), and we already have 2 inches on the ground. No sign of it letting up anytime soon.
ReplyDeleteBeen snowing in Coupeville, WA (Whidbey Island) since 7:30 AM.
ReplyDeleteThe EURO model is nailing today's experience, at least from what I can tell on windy.com
ReplyDeleteI'm in Lea Hill (Auburn) and we had light snow this morning. Unlike regular light snow events in the area, this light snow is actually sticking to the roads already (lea hill and covington area), making it slick in spots that don't look slick.
Should be a fun drive home from Bellevue in a few hours. :)
Been snowing since 7:30 am in Coupeville (Whidbey Island).
ReplyDeleteSeriously snowing in Sequim now. Saw a 3 car accident in Carlsborg. Temp is just at 33 degrees so quite slippery.
ReplyDeleteThe radar (at about 11am) is showing snow pushing in south of Seattle (federal way/kent and south), meaning more snow south end before Seattle sees any. I don't think this was forecasted.
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ReplyDeleteSnowfessor Mass,
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to your post Snowpocalypse analysis next week. Was it a true Snowmageddon per the Euro model or did the USA 🇺🇸 win this one. Did Snowzilla rise up out of the watery depths and wreak havoc or did Mothra winds come from the East to drive him back into the warm watery depths. Snowattelites want the post game review. ⛄️⛄️⛄️
I have lived through a thousand of these alarmist warnings ... this will be a non-event :)
ReplyDeleteWashington weather hype machine is in full effect.
DeleteParty Pooper !!
DeleteTell that to the people stuck in traffic or dealing with accidents.
Delete11:30 AM... 2" of new snow here in lake Goodwin , stanwood area, so far this morning.
ReplyDeleteAlready have a couple of inches and snowing heavily with large flakes (29 degrees) on top of Bell Hill near Sequim at 1130. Started at 1000 or so. I watched the radar as a huge snow cloud formed out of nowhere (it didn't come down across the Strait but formed right over us).
ReplyDeleteNOAA talks about frontogenesis occurring over us later today. That's pretty cool given we are usually on the protected downslope from such things. Upslopes are neat. Always wanted to have a snowy frontogenesis hovering over my backyard.
We and our neighbors are all prepared to enjoy this rare winter event.
Over an inch in Sequim and dumping hard, 2 inches in Port Angeles. Who ever the idiot that said this will be a non event needs to get a clue
ReplyDeleteThis may end up being an inconsequential detail, but the models and the narrative thus far don't seem to be holding up very well with regards to onset time and location. Who predicted that Seattle southward would get snow before any location between Shoreline and Marysville? It looks like this is going to fill in from south to north rather than the forecasted north to south. Indeed, the snow boundary north of Everett has only been retreating further northward over the past couple of hours.
ReplyDeleteFascinating to read about your process, Cliff. Thanks for all the time you're investing in keeping the public informed.
ReplyDeleteYour Godzilla references always make me laugh! We used to go to Godzilla drive in movies as kids.
Snowing on Bainbridge... Just starting to pick up.
ReplyDeleteAbout 4" already on the ground in Port Angeles. It started earlier than expected and has not relented. The 1 foot forecast for the North Olympics looks pretty easily attainable.
ReplyDeleteVirtually everything in Port Angeles is closing. The snow is coming in much heavier and sooner than expected. No pics here but check out Port Angeles, WA on Facebook.
ReplyDeleteJust started snowing on Phinney Ridge!
ReplyDelete12:25 PM. Just started snowing in Chehalis. Lew
ReplyDeleteSnojira?
ReplyDeleteSnowmapalooza ?
Delete5 inches around my house at 100 feet elevation about 6 Mike's east of Sequim, was. And it is still snowing sooooo hard
ReplyDeleteQueen Anne Hill: the snow has begun. It's big, heavy and wet.
ReplyDeleteNot snowing yet in north Kirkland, although we had a few light flurries around 8:30am. But, there seems to be quite a lot of melt going on - crusty chunks shaking off the tree branches and even icicles falling from the edges of my gutters.
ReplyDeleteSouthwest Seattle is snowing strong since about 12:15pm!
ReplyDeleteFirst snowflakes in Auburn at elevation of 450ft at 12:40pm.
ReplyDeleteSnowmageddon has begun here in Georgetown.
ReplyDeleteFinally started snowing in Lynnwood. Usually we're not the last to get it, but it's here.
ReplyDeleteIn Port Angeles, we had a melt for the last hour or so that will make things really fun when things refreeze in a few hours. Highway 101 in and out of town is already closed due to it being a parking lot.
ReplyDeleteNorth Seattle is snowing cats and dogs, big wet flakes but it's a bit warm. 36 degrees in Greenwood according to my professional Davis thermometer. Still incredible to see so much snow in the air. Just beginning to stick to the roadways, barely.
ReplyDeleteSnowing in Woodinville. The town is a total loss.
ReplyDeleteComing down strong on Queen Anne Hill - sticking on sidewalks and roads. Fun to see - glad I don't have to drive in it.
ReplyDeleteI wish the Seattle School District had opted for two-hour early dismissal instead of 75 minute early dismissal. It could be a real mess for students getting home this afternoon.
Snow began here on Key Peninsula (extreme NW Pierce Co) at noon. Now at 1pm 1.5 inches of new snow.
ReplyDeleteSnowing steadily in Port Townsend- about an inch of new since 10:30.
ReplyDeleteOkay, I surrender. Moderate snowfall, 34 deg F, and sticking to roads at 1 pm in Edmonds! My mom says same's happening near Seatac. The wx service forecast appears to be on target! I believed them enough, and Cliff, to shop for food last night and around noon today
ReplyDeleteBeginning to see snow in Covington area
ReplyDeleteDumping at 1600' on South Tiger Mountain at 12:45.
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ReplyDeleteNorth of Poulsbo, started at Noon, thickening now, 1/4 inch maybe...grilled cheese/tomato soup with a window seat. Love snow!
ReplyDeleteSnowing and sticking in Shoreline
ReplyDeleteOn my way home to shoreline from whidbey Island right now.
DeleteLight but dense snow falling in Monroe/Woods Creek area. Temp is 34 degrees, snow isn't quite sticking yet, but it's just a matter of time before it does.
ReplyDeleteSouth Tacoma: Just started about 12:55pm. It's starting to stick on the side roads. Fingers crossed for a foot! XD
ReplyDeleteStarted snowing here in Ballard (I'm near Fred Meyer's) at 12:35 p.m., hard and fast. It's 1:16 PM now and the snow is already sticking to the roads.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad I was allowed to work remotely - I didn't want to take the 44 to UW today, and risk a delayed bus getting back to Ballard. My team was looking at your forecasts, Professor, none of us chose to commute today.
Now snowing heavily in Kingston....34 degrees at sea level.
ReplyDeleteNorth Bend - Snoqualmie now snowing lightly at 1:20 pm.
ReplyDeleteUp to almost 4" here in Spokane,soon will exceed the high limit of original NWS forecast.(Forgot to mention my location on earlier comment)
ReplyDeleteNothing in San Luis Obispo yet.
ReplyDeleteReally coming down heavy and sticking in Renton Highlands! Beautiful. Glad kids got out early. School districts timed it perfectly.
ReplyDeleteSnow has arrived in Tacoma. Already have a light layer and it keeps coming.
ReplyDeleteAt 1:30 p.m. measured 8 inches in Sequim at 375 feet elevation.
ReplyDeletefalling pretty steadily inside the city right now. It's not sticking the the road yet, but the back ups started at about 12:30.
ReplyDeleteSnowing heavily on South Whidbey between Langley and Bayview. Convergence zone payout. We're likely to get more than 3 to 5 inches, i'm thinking because of the colliding effects.
ReplyDeleteIt started ~12:45 here in Kirkland and went from zero to sixty in a minute or so. If it's starting out this heavy, I wonder if that means our total amount for the 24hr period will be significantly more than predicted.
ReplyDeleteDecent snowfall rate but almost no accumulation on the streets thus far on South Beacon Hill. Temp is 34.2 and holding steady.
ReplyDeleteInteresting. We had a couple inches in Leschi-Madrona neighborhood by 2 pm, and it's 3 to 4 inches.
DeleteStarted snowing and sticking around 1230 in NE Seattle - the Maple Leaf Alps. Still coming down and sticking at 1353. Dr. Mass, thank you for your posts and wonderful explanations. Very much appreciated!
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely no interesting weather in north Whatcom County; just our usual strong northeast wind out of the Fraser Valley picking up. It creates whiteout conditions when paired with snow, so probably for the best that we're high & dry. Still. Bummer to have events south of us canceled while we miss out on the "excitement".
ReplyDelete7.5 inches in Agnew between Port Angeles/Sequim at 2 PM on the 8th
ReplyDeleteAbout 2 pm here in Bow. Heavier snow earlier, now very light - maybe an inch or so, so far. Interestingly, the weather-reporting rock is reporting snow. We are on a hill looking over all the berry farms and fields - a beautiful sight - but we will be stuck here until some good soul with a tractor comes and moves away the pretty! Fun reading the experiences and compares to forecasts.
ReplyDeleteSnowing in Olympia since noonish. Started sticking around 2pm and it’s piling up fast.
ReplyDeleteStarted snowing in W Olympia around 12:15 with gusto...have almost 2" of new snow in two hours, but it has slowed down. Roads have about 1" already sticking. Long term forecast through Tuesday on weather.com has us anywhere from 10-20" for us here....holy moly
ReplyDeleteNow snowing very steadily in Monroe/Woods Creek. At one point, visibility was less than 1/8 mile (the distance between my house and our inner driveway gate). My wife commented that she's never seen snow this heavy except in the mountains. As of now, it looks like we've got about an inch of accumulation over just the last 30-45 minutes.
ReplyDelete18z GFS is nuts for next week.
ReplyDeletesteady snow in Indianola
ReplyDeleteSnowing for about 1 hour and NO accumulation on the pavement in Snohomish. Too warm out. I will be surprised if we get a dusting on the road at this rate. Looks to be a bit of a dud but we'll see.
ReplyDeleteSteady snow in beautiful Indianola
ReplyDeleteNobody seems to be paying attention to the Olympic Peninsula. It started snowing and accumulating in Port Angeles at 7:00 a.m. We've had at least 6" since then at my 300' elevation home. Hard to tell since it is on top of the first snow. Shoveling is heavy work. Driving is treacherous.
ReplyDeleteFor all of you thinking this is turning out to be a big ol' nothing, yikes. It's SIGNIFICANTLY snowing around the Seattle area and the areas closer to the city will just take a bit longer to cool down to the point where this will begin having large accumulation. Don't be deceived: this one is really going to dump on everyone
ReplyDeleteFrom NOAA's site:
ReplyDelete"Snow. High near 33. Wind chill values between 23 and 28. Calm wind." How is there a "wind" chill if there is no wind?
From NOAA's site:
ReplyDelete"Snow. High near 33. Wind chill values between 23 and 28. Calm wind."
How can there be wind chill if there is no wind? Has NOAA been infiltrated by local broadcast weatherheads?
Heavy fine snow in Black Diamond/Lake Sawyer for last 2 hours
ReplyDeleteLooks like most of the snow is heading to the south of the Seattle area we have dodged a bullet here!
ReplyDeleteStarting to remind me of late January 1969. 20 inches on the ground at Sea Tac. Storm after storm. Dry snow. A little colder UW closed for a week. Surely was fun!
ReplyDeleteYep we got a lot of good sledding in then.
DeleteWind is picking up here in Friday Harbor. For now the snow has stopped falling. 34 degrees, wind chill 23
ReplyDeleteSnowing heavy in Cle Elum, started about 12:30
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ReplyDeleteSnowing in the Skagit and has been since 1pm.
ReplyDeleteHmmmm....radar looks like this is quickly falling apart?
ReplyDeleteThis was just the beginning wave. We have a bit of down and then the big push begins.
DeleteThat’s what I’m seeing.
DeleteSure looks like a bust to me
DeleteKen W, yeah, pretty clear the radar is falling apart... doesn't look like too much additional accumulation for Puget Sound. With that said, some areas did get hit pretty hard, and I'd always prefer forecaster's err on the side of caution, but yeah... this is certainly not the "major" snowstorm that was projected, and the timing of the action happening after 4pm primarily looks way off.
ReplyDeleteWe'll see, but seems like another miss as far as the forecasting goes overall, though much less impactful of one to the community than Monday when the totals were drastically underforecasted.
4 PM in Bellingham (E. Victor Street near Cornwall Park) street is clear. A few flurries so far as of about 4 PM. Wind is starting to pick up from the north, but I was able to ride my bicycle today without frost-biting my cheeks and ear lobes off. Just went out to my back yard. Sky seems to be brightening up a little and not a single flake for the last five minutes. I can feel some drizzle drops if I stretch my arms out. It does not yet feel like freezing.
ReplyDeleteAnd nws.noaa.gov seems to be hard down. You have to go to: https://www.weather.gov/sew/
Update: 12" of snow here in Port Angeles at 800'. Hasn't let up.
ReplyDeleteThanks for helping I631 not get passed Cliff! More CO2 = BETTER! You are da bomb, keep up the good work, we will remember you for ages :)
ReplyDeleteRadar at 4:48 shows the moisture band falling apart quickly. Is it over already?
ReplyDeleteZero accumulation down here at sea level in West Seattle.
ReplyDeleteRadar looks a bit underwhelming for snow lovers in NE Seattle at present. I hope things change in the next few hours. We haven't had a decent snow rate since 1 today.
ReplyDeleteMillions $$$ worth of computers, statisticians/scientists/modelers. "snowmageddon"
ReplyDeleteGot less than an inch here in Haller lake/north Seattle. So bummed. Stopped snowing. Looking like it's all over now.
ReplyDeleteyep has stopped snowing in NE Seattle ... nyever really stuck to roads ... yawn ... looking to be a non-event ...
ReplyDeleteLooks like a lot of the energy has already passed us by. The precipitation field was never impressive for this system (at least not over the central Sound) and now it looks full of holes and to be actively dissipating. Are we missing something where the moisture will coil back up our way again?
ReplyDeleteYeah. This look like a dud. Except for Timbuktu’s 35”. PNW greater Seattle TACOMA a bust. Bummer!!
ReplyDeleteWhere is stage 2? Now, it is rush hours and hardly any snow at Redmond.
ReplyDeleteYep. Temp above freezing in Maple Leaf/Lake City Way. Roads slushy but not iced. Snow and ice melting on my driveway and walkway. Snowing has stopped. Radar showing a change in wind direction. This thing may be over for the next 24 hours.
ReplyDeleteYes, it will freeze tonight, but barely.
Would love an update from Cliff. This thing is falling apart at least in the Metro area. Would like to see what the next 24 hours are supposed to look like.
ReplyDeleteI don’t know about the rest of the life-long Seattlelites...The true epic storms are usually a bit of a surprise to everyone.
ReplyDeleteOk, I measured and it looks like we actually have just under 4cm of fresh snow. Crossing my fingers for more!
ReplyDeleteFor some areas, this is going to be an epic bust.
ReplyDeleteVery little snow fell in Whatcom County today. It's now dry and windy. Most places had max temps in the mid-30s with low-30s currently. Looks to be a cold, windy weekend.
ReplyDeleteYeah. This is a big bust
ReplyDeleteAbout an 1"-1.5" in Downtown Olympia between 1-3:30pm,then from 4:15 to now (5:35pm) steady heavy snowfall with an additional 1-1.5"
ReplyDeleteYeah... I live at the second highest point in Seattle and we got a whole lotta nothing. But at least QFC and Safeway got a bunch of extra business.
ReplyDeleteSurprised to see that even now the Fraser outflow air temps in Lynden/Bellingham area are still relatively warm, 33/34 degrees.
ReplyDeleteCare to explain the unique conditions which resulted in the big dump at Sequim, 14" as reported by KIRO TV?
Nuking in Snoqualmie Ridge since 1p. Shoveled 4+ inches at 4p and there’s at least 2” on the driveway again and piling up quickly. If anything, I’d say the models above undersold this one based on observations vs the times noted. City plows have been doing a good job of staying ahead of things too.
ReplyDeleteCan’t wait to ski some freshies tomorrow!
Cars are driving outside my house in NE Seattle at normal speed limits. This was supposed to be the peak of the storm. Safe to say it busted?
ReplyDeleteMy jerkoff employer finally gave in at 7AM this morning. Effing D-Bags.
ReplyDelete10 inches snow as of 5:30 PM in Agnew in between Port Angeles & Sequim
ReplyDeleteBust.
ReplyDeleteSnowmageddon has become snoremageddon.
ReplyDeleteWe got nada in Bellingham. Zilch
ReplyDeleteWe go nada in Bellingham. Zilch.
ReplyDeleteHow did you get this so wrong with so much data?
ReplyDeleteThe moisture has not materialized, the deep trough in your images has not materialized, and hence the cold air from the north hasn't either.
Other forecasts have downgraded this to under an inch, roads are bare and there is no snow in most places. The Langley, WA radar shows very little precipitation.
Just a total bust of a forecast.
I think we have a Dud here.....
ReplyDeleteOkay Cliff you left us on a cliffhanger (sorry - I see what I did there). What is happening? Has the forecast changed? It came in exactly as expected, and I left work at 1pm, arriving hone in West Seattle at 2pm-ish (commute nearly double the time as usual, but felt safe despite wet snow). I measured two inches of new snow on my deck table, but then...it stopped. It has rained a little. And it all seems to be melting.
ReplyDeletePlease tell us more! Is this it for tonight? Is Monday's storm still coming? Will we still meet Snowzilla? Do tell!
I think the winner is... anyone and everyone that called this a dud. At least for Alki. Nothing but wet roads and light rain. And warmer than expected. Radar does indeed look like the system fell apart.
ReplyDeleteWell, snowmageddon/snowzilla was fun while it last, but it appears to be dying now.
ReplyDeleteThanks for instilling fear in the masses.
ReplyDeleteLeft Seattle at 4pm and enjoyed empty roads all the way home on I5 to West Seattle!
Let's see how tonight goes!
What the.....? It’s OVER!!
ReplyDeletewell that was a big ol nothing burger... 1.6" in Seattle.. pfft. the 2nd "act" better bring 5-6" of snow Cliff
ReplyDeleteUh... Cliff?
ReplyDeleteKind of a bust in Lake Forest Park. We only got about 1 inch so far. My brother in the U District reports about half an inch.
ReplyDeleteAnother forecast bust.....nice
ReplyDeleteCliff: Thank you for keeping us up to date on this stuff! Glad I went out for a nice motorcycle ride around Snoqualmie Valley last Saturday!
ReplyDeleteWe've a whopping trace to a quarter inch here on Bainbridge by the water. Sleeting as of 1730 and a mild 34 degrees. Snowmageddon must have been "Flake News"!
ReplyDeleteWe got an abrupt start to snow out NE of Woodinville, a lot of very fine flakes most of the afternoon, and then when snowpocalypse was supposed to start.... nothing. And Weather Underground rather suddenly changed the prediction from 4-6" to <1".
ReplyDeleteThat was anticlimactic.
Patiently waiting on next blog post. Still coming this evening?
ReplyDeletemore like snowgecko...
ReplyDeleteHmmm... warmer than what all of the models predicted. What happened that the models did not account for?
ReplyDeleteWhoops, looks like you missed this forecast
ReplyDeleteI assume you’re shoveling your words now, eh? That second punch predicted to pick up around 10 pm did exactly that. Good job.
Delete11 inches at Agnew Wa - between Port Angeles & Sequim at 9:30 Pm
ReplyDeleteLooks underwhelming so far. Looked out at the ground and barely anything has stuck, mostly melted. Maybe the snowmageddon is averted?
ReplyDelete11pm in west Oly and we are up to 6-7" of new snow and still coming down steadily. If this keeps up as forecast until 7am, we could easily top 10" just in this storm. What will Sun/Mon bring??? Models may have underestimated moisture column available to this low
ReplyDeleteWhat do the latest models say, Cliff? This is the biggest CLIFF hanger to date. ;)
ReplyDeleteSnowing pretty heavily in the QA/Interbay area. Roads are white, everything is white.
ReplyDeleteSounds like Magnolia to me.
DeleteThank you, Cliff. Once again, you are right . 😊 It's beautiful and I'm so glad we went to the store the other day I'm shaking my head at Mr. non-hype. I guess you just have to be here for one of these storms.
ReplyDeleteJust like was forecasted, the snow really picked up about 9-10 PM here in Woodinville. Went from an inch or two to 5.5” in a couple hours. on top of the 9” we already had from Sun/Mon. It continually amazes me how just a few hundred feet (400 feet in my case) can make such a significant impact on snow totals.
ReplyDelete3am 6 inches in Bremerton and snowing heavily. Cliff, you were spot on! Thanks for the good work.
ReplyDeleteHoly Godzilla Batman!
ReplyDeleteAt least 5 inches in Port Ludlow, and moderate snow falling.
ReplyDeleteClosing in on 20” here in Port Angles at 800’. Luckily, we still have power. Still snowing...
ReplyDeleteEverybody who joined the snort-fest about this being a non-event, the system falling apart, why is it so warm, why is it not snowing as hard, blah blah, wah wah, this is how we're going to do it.
ReplyDeleteLine up, wait your turn (there are a lot of you), apologize to Cliff, lkand then go stand in the corner for a while.
Sheesh. I have never seen people get that caught up in treating a radar image like some kind of crystal ball. Hooting that the next ice age was imminent one moment, then hooting that the forecasters were a bunch of hype-mongers the next.
Seriously. Go back and read that parade of comments from yesterday evening. It'll give you whiplash if you're not careful. It was funny at first, then it just got annoying.
Its obvious that everyone did not experience the snowmageddon. That is a let down. The storm was very selective it seems! I'm in the Renton Highlands and we got dumped on big time. I haven't seen this big of a snowfall here in many years. Love it.
ReplyDeleteOlympia 98513 has about 4-5 inches, and wind is blowing a bit.
ReplyDeletePerhaps more sad, though...
31,700 people are without power (PSE). That's how fragile our power grid is, we can't even sustain snow storms without major power loss.
Snow came later than we expected here living on Sinclair Inlet. Nothing but a dusting afternoon and at 9:30pm. Friends at 200 ft elevation got a lot. BUT, woke up at 5:30am and there is about 4 inches. I suspect those east-west bands may be connected with no snow until after 10pm.
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ReplyDeleteCertainly happened on marrowstone. I'm looking out the window at 8+ inches? Starting to worry about the weight of snow... Thanks for the blog!
ReplyDeleteWe got annihilated in Issaquah. It will be interesting to see the snowfall totals around the region, and how it has varied. Almost everything is shut down.
ReplyDeleteWill we get alot of snow in yakima wa
ReplyDeleteAhh yes the self-entitled I know everything crowd in seattle complaining you missed the forecast right before the event was going to begin. So entertaining Cliff. Keep up the good work. 6-8inches of snow in Gig Harbor area.
ReplyDelete8-10” on Vashon, lost power just before midnight, apparently the entire island is out.
ReplyDeletePlenty of snow down here in Gig Harbor as predicted with more to come as predicted. Not only by Cliff, but other reputable meteorological services.
ReplyDeleteSo satisfying to look back thru the comments and see that 99% of your readers do not posses basic critical thinking skills.
Well done public education system, truly well done.
Congratulations to all the forecasters -- you folks really nailed it! About 4.5" in Wallingford.
ReplyDeleteAnother 6" here in Lake Goodwin. Well over a foot on the ground. Love all the bust comments, hope you all wake up eating crow. Cliff keep the good work up.
ReplyDeleteI just read Settle had 7th largest snow day in history of tracking (since 1894), so I think that qualifies Cliff as being "right"!
ReplyDeleteNorth of POULSBO, 6am: 9 inches on top of previous 6 (which compressed to about 4), breeze picking up. 28 degrees. Coffee’s on!
ReplyDeleteYour forecast was spot on for us in West Seattle! There was an intermission until late Friday evening and then it snowed like crazy for about three hours. All said, we have 8 inches of new snow. I await your next forecast with bated breath. Thank you for all the work you put into your blog. I’ve lived in Seattle my whole life and spent my childhood mourning snows that didn’t come to pass. It’s hard to forecast here!
ReplyDeleteCurious what all the people calling this a dud or a bust have outside their window this morning. I’ve got 6.5 new inches in Rainier Beach.
ReplyDeleteAll you Seattle folks who think the world revolves around you are proving your foolishness. Other parts of Puget Sound are hammered this morning. Oly has up to 10" in places and thousands without power...so yeah, it is a major snow event even if your little bubble went unaffected. Across Western WA this morning folks are not interested in armchair meteorologists slamming the forecast. It was off here too, but on the low side. Instead of the 2-5" forecast, we have easily doubled that and even quadrupled the low end. I watched a transformer light up the sky blue at about 6am out my window, which is always cool to see. So yeah, save your snark and righteous indignation about weather forecasts for another day!
ReplyDeleteLooks like we got our 6-8 inches last night here in Clearview. On top of the 6 inches left from last weekend, so it’s up to a foot deep!
ReplyDeleteI am really curious why there are so many bust comments on here given the snow reports I have seen. I mean a few places got less than forecast, but were more or less equalled out by over-performers. I mean you are always going to get spatial variability in any snow event much less one occurring over an area with terrain and other mesoscale influences so if the forecast is 6-8 and you get 4-5 that shouldn't be super-shocking. Hence why Cliff (and recently the NWS as well) provides forecasts out in a probabilistic sense (e.g. your 10th and 90th percentile).
ReplyDeleteWe have more than six inches in Gig Harbor and it is still coming down hard at 7:30 am on Saturday morning. This is the largest snowstorm in many, many years. Cliff's forecast was spot on, at least for us.
ReplyDeleteSix inches here in Silverdale, which is more than the two inches I was expecting from the HRRR model. The HRRR model had this past of the Kitsap peninsula in a bit of a snow shadow.
ReplyDelete16 inches at 7:30 AM Sat. In Agnew between Port Angeles & Sequim
ReplyDeleteDoesn't seem like much of a bust to me, given the snowfall reports I have seen. Sure some areas probably got under what was forecast but these were more or less cancelled out by the over-performers. That kind of spatial variability is present in almost all winter storms (which usually involve some form of mesoscale banding), but is even more likely in areas with coastal/terrain influences which magnifies mesoscale/flow dependent events. Cliff (and recently the NWS as well) give most of their forecasts in probabilistic space anyway and I think outside of some very local effects in areas like Port Angeles most locations stayed within the 10th/90th percentiles of the distribution.
ReplyDeleteTo the impatient and whiny people who called this a bust - maybe in your area but not where I live. Covered in a thick white blanket of snow this morning. Easily 6 inches overnight, if not more.
ReplyDeleteWe’ve got 8 inches in Bonney Lake - can’t wait to see what you have to say about the rest of the week Cliff!! We’ve loved your blog for years and are so thankful for all you do for our community ❄️❄️❄️
ReplyDeleteNearly 6.5 inches in Phinney / Woodland Park and currently snowing.
ReplyDeleteRainier Beach, SE Seattle: just knocked 5” of snow off the greenhouse roof. City plow came down the street and pushed an 18” pile in front of all the driveways. Currently snowing hard. Home Ambient Weather Station (KWASEATT2101) reads 29 degrees F. Anemometer frozen solid. Elevation 371’.
ReplyDeleteI think this was a great call – both timing and amounts. It's hard to predict the future. Late yesterday afternoon, it felt too warm in Seattle (Capitol Hill) for the snow predictions to pan out. Snow was falling pretty consistently but it was heavy and wet. Last night about 9-10 PM the snow was coming down much harder in my neighborhood and accumulating at a pretty rapid rate. For Seattle proper the call was 4-6 inches. On East Capitol Hill (el. ~200 ft) I had 5-6 inches this morning of new snow depending on where I measured. Much of our neighborhood still had a lot of snow from the earlier storm, so in some spots I have 7-8" on the ground. I was surprised how little snow was left over from the last storm in other neighborhoods when I drove to the grocery and to fill up the car on Thursday morning.
ReplyDeleteThis morning I have to tunnel out of my front entry to get to my front gate. Bamboozled again by the collapsing bamboo stands:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/96201513@N00/46985379712
Pushing 10 inches in Olympia now
ReplyDeleteI want to save all these “this is a bust” comments. If they would have actually fully read Cliff’s forecast he said “2 acts”. I think the models nailed the forecast and we currently have 11 inches here in Gig Harbor.
ReplyDeleteJust shy of 8 inches snow in Port Townsend and still snowing. We got about 3 inches during part one during the day yesterday and 5 inches through the night. Nice job on the forecast.
ReplyDelete