Drew made this graphic for our 5pm show. You've probably heard that Redoubt Volcano erupted late last night and today, sending ash 50,000' up into the atmosphere. For now the ash is actually headed farther away from us, but as the week goes on, the flow could bring any future ash farther south into Canada. It's something to keep an eye on since you may remember late last Summer or Fall we had some ash overhead from an Aleutian volcano.
On to the weather; at least it was dry for a good chunk of Saturday. I got outside quickly and planted my fruit trees, put up some of the kid's bird boxes, etc. before it rained. But today was a heck of a gloomy afternoon and evening. The combination of cold temps, breezy south wind, and rain made for a "January" feel in the air. I noticed all snow was falling around 4pm on our TV tower at 1900'. If the airmass over us had been 5-10 degrees colder, we would have had sticking snow in the low elevations this afternoon. The last few years it seems like winter is never far away…even in March and April.
More gloom is on the way for tomorrow and the first half of Wednesday as two more systems move inland. The 2nd one on Wednesday is a fun one due to it swinging down from the north-northwest. This is a heavy snow pattern for the Cascades and especially Blue mountains. Our RPM model says up to 2 ft. of snow in the Blues between Walla Walla and La Grande. A cold shortwave trough swinging down from the northwest is always efficient for heavy snowfall over there. Since the air behind that trough is quite a bit drier and from the north, clearing should occur quickly Wednesday afternoon.
Thursday-Saturday SHOULD be dry, but each model is slightly different on the flat ridging over us. I see the 18z GFS has a system close enough for rain here on Saturday. I hope that's not what the 00z GFS decides to do because our forecast says dry. Have I ever said I HATE SPRING FORECASTING? Of course I don't mind a big ridge, but the rest is a pain.
Okay, I'm blogging a bit early because I need to go hit the stationary bike. If you see EMT's rushing towards the 24 Hour Fitness on NW Cornell, they are probably coming after me because I pushed it a bit too hard…Mark Nelsen
FOX 12 Weather Blog 
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Darn comment is closed so no one saw the average for KSLE.
The -4F is how much from the average we are. The cloudy days and cool troughs kept our highs MUCH below our average which as been the theme for the last few years.
Will April bring us 80F weather this year? Only time will tell.
http://www.wunderground.com/history/airport/KSLE/2009/3/9/DailyHistory.html
Salem Oregon weather history 03/2009
Besides being below average in rainfall KSLE did manage 2 “snow days” if you can even call it that due to the snow only sticking in the higher hills around town. 8th and 9th.
The record high 4 this day is 77F in 1997 and a low of 25F in 1913. Geez I wonder what could cause THAT kind of cold?
Temperature is -4F for our average high and +1 for our lows this month due to constant cloud cover at night.
The lowest low was 27F for KSLE and Silverton is a degree or two warmer due to parts of it being on top of a hill.
Our precipitation (rainfall) for the month stands at a scant 2.71″ while the normal is 4.17 so we are quite a bit behind on montly rainfall despite our cloudy/showery weather.
Perhaps in April we can have a brief catch up before summer season sets in and the storm doors close for good.
Dull dank day. Low of 41F and a high of 54 with light rain in the early afternoon before I took a nap for a few hours.
When I got up the shower was over. Got 0.20 out of this system……….if you can even call it one.
Let’s take a look at some averages for KSLE shall we?
Astoria Oregon
7:55 pm
46 degrees
Theres a crazy cloud direction goin on here where we usually get a west to east direction this evening we are getting a north to east direction very uncommon for us whats up with that? all we had was some real good drizzly rain this morning but the rest of the day remained cloudy it cleared up a lil this afternoon to be able to see some blue sky this evening clouds are moving back in it looks ominus like grey cottony storm clouds like you see right before or durring a severe thunderstorm but havnt had any of that they are usually darker with a grey green cast to them but its deff strange looking.
46.4F….light NNW winds….pressure rising at 30.106″…
Severe weather has shifted into LA, where several tornado/severe t-storm warnings have been issued…
Hi Everybody, I’ve relocated to Fort Collins,CO. I arrived last Sunday to 80 degree weather, but that has quickly changed. We are under a WSW, snowfall predictions for this storm are not set in stone but currently we are looking for storm totals of 4-10″, Denver will get hit hard by this one. The first 3 weeks of March have been historic in terms of warmth and dryness in this area.
Blizzard Watch for the Texas and Oklahoma Panhandles now. This has the potential to be a very interesting storm…
…39.4, and it’s been pouring down rain for hours….
43.0F……light south winds….0.29″ rain total so far today…
Moderate downslope event during the night continuing this am for the east slopes of the southern Washington Cascades…
http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/mesowest/mwmap.php?map=otx&limit=1
Skip,
It kinda looks like some kind of mountain wave phenomenon with the westerly onshore flow lifted over and water vapor condensing at the top and on the lee side of the mountains.
I really don’t have any good ideas though. Light south winds in the valley just about everywhere. Maybe cooler air at the surface is keeping the air from descending on the lee side and the clouds dissipating.
http://sat.wrh.noaa.gov/satellite/loopsat.php?wfo=pqr&area=west&type=vis&size=1“
Actually, Justin, that quote has not been verified either way as being attributed (or not attributed) to Twain (though it would be very consistent with his humor). He did, however, make a similar (and verified) weather reference to Paris, France. He was a walking “quote machine” so I doubt every clever thing he ever said has been captured…. 😉
Back to the weather: Dang it’s cold outside!! 🙂
Thursday through early saturday look to be interesting weatherwise across the U.S. as a strong early spring snow storm looks to come out of the Rockies and track across the central and southern plains. Winter Storm Watches are up right now for Colorado, W Kansas, and the Oklahoma and Texas panhandles.
Something I’ve never noticed before on today’s IF pics at:
http://www.atmos.washington.edu/~ovens/loops/wxloop.cgi?ir4km+48
The clouds hanging around on the leeward side of the Coast Range and Cascades. I’m trying to explain why they are formed more so on the down slopes instead of the up slopes. Any one have any ideas why?
This is what happens when everyone is bored. LOL.
Hope you got plenty of exercise Mark. It’s a pretty good idea that you can go ride a “bike”. 🙂
Actually, Mark Twain never said that.
Brandon, I think it was Mark Twain who famously said the coldest winter he ever experienced was a summer in San Francisco.
Talked to my son in western ND the other day. It was 64deg with a blizzard warning AND flood warning. Today and yesterday it all hit. I can’t imagine. Oh, he said that they had a big thunderstorm all night on Saturday.
Our weather is so benign.
Aleta…I grew up in that area (Eureka). I swear 45 in Crescent City feels colder than 45 any other place on earth.
We’re vactioning around Crescent City area and the passes going from there to Orick had patches of snow on them at approx. 1400′ from a storm on Saturday-Sunday. It’s been Cold here. Going on redwood trails when it’s in the mid 40’s gets you chilly quickly!
Tornado Warning tonight for Washington Co., Oklahoma. I was there last week! A week to early I guess! My fiance was in the storm shelter, but I think the threat has passed as the tornado vortex on radar has passed east into Nowata Co.
Latest Redoubt Update
2009-03-23 20:56:22
A sixth explosive eruption occurred at 7:41PM AKDT. Clear web camera views show that the ash emission has ended. Steaming is visible from the summit. The National Weather Service has posted a new ashfall advisory: http://pafc.arh.noaa.gov/volcano.php
ok Mark go ahead and be a weather “geek”
Vis satellite shows the “exploding” cloud tops across the plains states…
http://www.atmos.washington.edu/~ovens/loops/wxloop.cgi?ir4km+12
40.2F….light east wind…0.19″ rain total
wow low Dew point at 28 for me strange but a temp of 39 man was it chilly today and track practice wasn’t that fun if u guys at the Portland weather station were wondering lol
39.5 here and if it gets any colder it will be snowing. A low of 29 and a high of 46 here today.
Pretty average….for MID JANUARY!
When I went to dinner, there was snow sticking on the fir trees on the hills above us – say 1200-1500′. Coming home, it was too foggy and/or too dark to see, but thought folks should know.
was th eruption anything like mount sait helens?
37.9 at the in-laws in Cedar Mill. It’s been a raw, damp day and my smokey chicken bake is calling me.
Thanks for the update, Mark.
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Mike, storms approaching Saint Joseph, Missouri.
http://207.192.215.42/view/view.shtml
and Des Moines, Iowa
http://www.iastate.edu/webcam/live.shtml
Go Blazers! and Go Lightning!
Cold 40.9F currently….0.17″ rain total so far
Severe weather continues in the plains…Intense line of t-storms northwest of Kansas City…
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