Cold Temperatures Hit Western Washington

Well below-normal minimum temperatures were evident across the state this morning.

Most of Washington was below freezing, with teens and single digits over eastern Washington and twenties and a few teens over western Washington.  

Below are the sub-20 locations in western Washington.   Hard freeze.  

What always impresses me in these situations is the local contrasts.  This morning's lows ranged from 35F near the water to 18F at Carnation.  Being away from the water makes a huge difference, and cold air (and often fog) drains into the Snoquamie Valley.  

The cold air that reached us is only a small taste of the amazingly cold air that has descended into the central and eastern U.S.

Consider the forecast temperatures for 7AM PST this morning (below), with purple and blue indicating the coldest.

The Rockies are our key line of protection, with an enormous temperature contrast across the southern Rockies.

As cold as this morning was across western Washington, no records were being made.  To illustrate, here are the temperatures in Ollymc this month (blue bars), with the average range in brown and the cold records in blue.   We have been below normal, but not even in the vicinity of daily records.

An irony of the cold is that renewable energy, and particularly wind energy, has gone to nearly zero in our area, just as we need it for heating--something that is quite typical.   

Consider the latest BPA statistics below.  Renewables (mainly wind) are nearly flatlined around zero.  Our limited nuclear power (purple) is steady and significant.   Thankfully, we have a lot of hydropower.

You can see why I am a strong supporter of nuclear power (fission) and the development of fusion power. 

Tales of Two Slopes: Hot and Cold

There has been a lot of talk about warmth in the mountains, loss of snowpack, and inversion conditions.   

The truth is a bit more complex.  

The western side of the Cascades has been warmer than normal with significant loss of snow, but conditions have been MUCH cooler on the eastern slopes, helping to maintain snowpack on that side.

Let's explore the fascinating temperature variations of the past few days.

Below are the minimum temperatures on January 16th and 19th.

Forties on the western slopes of the Cascades, but below freezing east of the crest, with many locations in the teens.

As I have discussed in prior blogs, a pool of very cold air has been trapped in the Columbia Basin, with cold air associated with a low cloud deck of stratus and fog (see the satellite picture below).

The UW high-resolution modeling system accurately simulated this cold/warm pattern.  

For example, the model forecast for the surface (2-m above surface) temperatures at 1 PM Saturday shows warmth (red colors) on the western Cascade slopes up to the crest level, but colder air right over the crest (blue and green colors).

Note the warm temperatures on the western slopes of the Olympics and coastal mountains as well.

Next, consider the temperatures at some locations on both sides of the Cascades. 

 At Paradise (Mt. Rainier) at 5000 ft on the western slopes, the temperatures (blue bars) were well above normal (brown band) during the past week..

In contrast, it was much cooler at Holden Village on the NE slopes of the Cascades. A short period of warmth followed by normal and colder than normal conditions.

The impacts on snow melt on both sides of the Cascades were noticeable.

On the west side of the North Cascades, the Upper Skagit snow water amounts are 89% of normal and have declined during the past week.

In contrast, the Methow drainage on the eastern Cascade slopes is a 124% of normal and holding steady!

The critical snowpack on the eastern side of the Cascades, so important for agriculture, is being protected by Columbia Basin cold!