Every once in awhile we get a sensational viewer photo, and tonight was one of those times. Don Best of Rockaway beach showed just what a beautiful sunset we can get out of a sun and cloud mix. I also noticed nice color over the Metro area as well this evening. That’s one benefit of our unusually cool and cloudy Summer 2011. The other would of course be the very green landscape.
I’ve decided I’m at peace now with our yucky summer weather. Naturally I’ll still whine a bit, but no bitterness or feeling of loss like when it doesn’t snow all winter. I see it this way; this summer is just makeup time for some of those hot years recently. We last had a really cool and wet summer in 1993 and one could argue that we’re overdue. Now it’s still only July 15th, and we could be in for some sort of pattern change beyond the last week of July that makes us forget the cool first half of July…we’ll see. For example, in 1986 July was as cool as our current month with lots of marine air keeping all high temps below 90. It hit 88 the last day of the month. August was a scorcher! 12 days at/above 90 degrees and even a 100 degree day. So things CAN change quickly. I know I said that in early June too, but you get the idea.
Chief Meteorologist Mark Nelsen
FOX 12 Weather Blog 
Happy day! It’s working again.
I was getting a little down about the copious amounts of rain dumping currently in Troutdale…until I saw this!
Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport
Lat: 44.89 Lon: -93.22 Elev: 834
Last Update on Jul 19, 3:53 pm CDT
Partly Cloudy
95 °F
(35 °C) Humidity: 66 %
Wind Speed: SE 17 G 24 MPH
Barometer: 29.78″ (1007.5 mb)
Dewpoint: 82 °F (28 °C)
Heat Index: 119 °F (48 °C)
Visibility: 8.00 mi.
Told my brother-in-law who lives in Aloha, that he is missing some great weather out here.. LOL IMBY it 93/76 with a Heat Index of 106 at 8pm..
That dewpoint reading at Minneapolis airport is actually a record for them.
Glad I spent four days rafting down the snake river so I could get some sun. Of course, even there the weather was 3 days of cloud/sun mix, only in the mid-80’s, and 1 day of 90+ with clear skies and sun.
Below is the headlines for the storm and there is a video of basement flooding which affected the airport pretty bad which the airport had to turn off power.
1,000-year storm delivers all-time record rainfall for Akron-Canton area, evacuations in Copley, airport reopens
Here is a picture i copied and paste: Nope never mind.
The only saving grace is there was no high winds from this storm unlike what they had earlier in the month.
I was right. T-storm bust last night because of the NWS making advisories. LOL.
Here is a storm article for Akron, Ohio where my Dad has some family: http://www.ohio.com/news/1-000-year-storm-delivers-all-time-record-rainfall-for-akron-canton-area-evacuations-in-copley-airport-reopens-1.225767
Akron Ohio had a 1,000 year storm early this morning that dumped between 4-7 inches of rain fall in ONE system and yes the NWS did not issue any advisories ahead of time.
I was lucky I saw the thunderstorm on weather underground before I went to bed and I knew something (very) bad was happening by the looks of the radar.
Well, when dewpoints are in the mid to upper 70s. Any thunderstorm is able to produce very heavy rain and flash flooding in a short amount of time. Kind of like what we had here in Indianapolis about a month ago. Upwards of 5″ in a matter of 2-3 hours. Wiped out a major roadway bridge in the area.
Though I would love to see some rain right now. My lawn is going brown quickly. At least I won’t have to mow it anytime soon. LOL
It would be interesting to compare our current weather with 1933 when Oklahoma recorded it’s driest summer. Dust bowl days.
Steens from Mann Lake, 106 second exposure.
Nice picture
If I counted correctly, per the NWS, from February 1 through July 18, there has been 17 days with an above mean temp at KHIO, and 7 days that were average. The rest were below average.
Above average – 10.1%
Average – 4.2%
Below Average – 85.7%!
Today will be below average as well
Here’s a great place to track weather coming across the Pacific (like remnant moisture from typhoon Ma-on in the west Pacific).
http://wwwghcc.msfc.nasa.gov/GOES/globalir.html
Thanks pappoose, and Brian, and Rob, and all others on here. There are so many wonderful sites, my “weather helper” bookmark menu is nearly full. That is always fun to watch the weather patterns evolve from differing perspectives, and other historical weather stuff, always appreciated.
Check out the list of Oregon stations that got at least 0.75″ of rain from this latest wave of moisture.
Most of these are along the cascade foothills. Notice over an inch of rain also has fallen in parts of the central Oregon high desert region as well.
12Z GFS – http://i53.tinypic.com/2wd8pyc.jpg
Here we go again!! The GFS teasing us with 5 days over 90 degrees on this run.
Starting at day 12…..
Ensembles aren’t advertising any significant ridging but they do suggest the flow may go ‘zonal’ right across the border with Canada in the mid-to-long range. There appears to be a little more agreement today than yesterday but the solutions remain chaotic.
Question….what about this particular pattern of weather that we seem to be locked into is making it SO hard to predict even a few days out? I’m fine with the weather….it is what it is….what is VERY frustrating however is reading the 7 day forecast on Monday and seeing sunny and 80 for the next Sunday, only to wake up to 63 and pouring on Sunday morning!!!! now THAT’S frustrating!!! What gives!?
Its because of the weak jet this time of year. Low pressure systems are often slow moving and erratic in their direction of movement. Model timing is often incorrect in this type of pattern.
Rain finally stopped. Received 0.78″ this morning. That makes 1.86″ since Saturday!!!
Wow — nearly 20 years since our last cool and wet summer. I guess we have been overdue. I feel bad for the east and Midwest, baking with record heat.
Why does everyone keep saying this has been a wet summer? June was below average,and July will only be above average because of one day (and only slightly if we don’t get much more rain). I’m talking about PDX, not Salem, Sandy, etc.
The last 3 days alone puts us in a cool & wet summer. The problem is that if you like 70 degrees during the summer most of the time that means cloudy skies with limited sunshine 😦
Need a kleenex Mike?
Freeport, Il had a heat index of 124 degrees yesterday. That’s 40 miles west of Rockford, where I grew up. Just ONE reason I’m glad I don’t live in the midwest any more. (great thunderstorms and snowstorms though)
Really need to watch out for the “FLY IN THE OINTMENT” this weekend.
National Weather Service Portland or
310 am PDT Tuesday Jul 19 2011
Long term…longer range guidance continues to hint at more
seasonable weather developing during the weekend…as the massive ridge over the central U.S. Tries to build west of The Rockies. However the GFS and European model (ecmwf) both begin to develop another cutoff low offshore by the weekend…which could prove to be a fly in the
ointment. Another potential complication may be the remnant moisture from typhoon Massachusetts-on in the west Pacific…especially if it gets wrapped into the cutoff low.
Massachusetts-On? Gotta love that auto-word-suggest feature…
I derive lots of amusement from the NWS.
Hahaah! The resident expert sounds off.
http://www.kptv.com/video?clipId=6064469&topVideoCatNo=208634&autoStart=true
Watched a different TV met this AM who reports we won’t get that wet today because we’ll only have “passing showers”. WHAT DOES THIS MEAN!!! I guess it means the showers will pass by close, but will somehow miss you.
After watching what oppressive heat, humidity, and dust is afflicting the rest of the country, I’m satisfied with our weather.
Is it Rose Festival week?
We have 3 months to live! World ends on October 21st. Oh my, Harold Camping is at it again…
You know, I’ll consider this fact when the Storm Prediction Center starts issuing PDS Tornado Watches for the Willamette Valley. But chances of that are less than 0.001%
3 months??? Well I’d better get busy! Got to get my house painted and the yard IN order if the creator is coming to town!
~INSERT SARCASTIC SMILEY FACE HERE~
Like the great physist Morgan Freeman once said in (Through the Wormhole)…
“Time may be real, or an illusion. But, from our perspective the past is gone forever, and the future is yet to be written…”
Time for a summer re-boot!
Another 0.23″ of rain this morning and it is still coming down. 😦
Now at 0.51″
Now at 0.65″!!
The showers aren’t “passing by” you.
When it comes to opportunities for warm and sunny weather, the fat lady doesn’t really sing until the last few days of October. Sometimes even early November, as evidenced by last fall’s unusually late Indian Summer event.
Nor does a bunch of wet weather in early fall guarantee an early start to fogversion season should the weather turn ridgy during the peripheral period. In October 2007, Eugene got about 3.5″ of rain in only five days during the third week of the month. Yet just three days after the deluge ended, we got up to 75 degrees after a morning low of 39. That was followed the next weekend with a 31-degree morning melting into a 67-degree afternoon – only three days before Halloween. That was at the airport. I think I recall hearing that some neighborhoods made it all the way to 70 that day. (It sure felt like 70 at the Mount Pisgah Mushroom Festival, and the following year the festival was held in 74-degree temps!)
So don’t lose hope. We may yet see a flip to warm and dry.
Gee, Mark, did you already forget last summer, when we had all that cool weather with “morning” clouds that lasted until 5:00 PM? 😉
7/18/2011 Oregon (All) Temperature Summary
Warmest:
High:96 at Ontario Municipa(2188 ft)
Low: 65 at DW6470 Ontario(2150 ft)
Coldest:
High:46 at CRATER LAKE RIM(7050 ft)
Low: 37 at FOSTER FLAT (5000 ft )
Largest Diurnal Change: 50 degrees
FOSTER FLAT (87/37 ) (5000 ft )
Heaviest Rainfall:
1.08″ at ZIM(4089ft)
Well since it’s already dang near the 19th & no ‘real’ change in sight, this summer sure won’t be forgotten for a long while. (nor missed)
Great pic!! Didn’t have a sunset here tonight, and saw very little sun again today. had a damp afternoon turn into a very wet evening. .16 for the day so far.
Here is the 1986 monthly data
http://www.brianschmit.com/Climate/Climate_Page/Portland_Yearly_Summaries.htm#1986
By the end of July that year we had 27 days over 80. We added 25 more in August.
I’m going with 1998’s #’s. Just move the months of June-Sept of ’98 down one month, and I believe that we’ll be seeing eerily similar numbers. I remember my dad’s visit that fall from N. Dakota. He was here from the end of Sept, through the first week of Oct., and he had to buy new clothes because he was too hot! It really cooled down Oct, 1st, after he went shopping, but maybe this year we’ll sneak a 90 or two in there this year. My theory is that that stubborn low in the se central part of the country has got to go some time!!!
Great pic Don! Drove home through western Washington County with friends tonight and also enjoyed amazing color at dusk. Wish I had my camera.
It’s always nice out here on the west side this summer isn’t it?
We’ve missed every opperetunity for a t-storm…but we have never lost a chance without a beautiful sunset.
00Z GFS – Is this gonna be an Aug 1986 redux? Or is the la-la land ridging just another mirage?
I vote mirage for now.
I agree. I`ve seen this way too many times this summer alone to buy it just yet.
06Z looks much better, no days above 90, but still very nice weather overall with lots of 80s!
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