For some of you/us, it’s been raining almost constantly for over 80 hours, since midday Sunday.
That’s just about anyone from Battle Ground down to Washougal to Troutdale and into the foothills of the Cascades. That includes my home out in Corbett where I’m up to around 5.50″ of rain. One would think it would produce flooding, but it’s just been a light-moderate rain the whole time…EVERY hour, EVERY day, for day after agonizing day!…sorry, distracted a bit there.
For comparison, I see Hillsboro and most of west metro area has only seen .25-.50″. This is an extreme example of orographic lift, where moisture pushes up against the mountains (for 3 days!) and has to drop its load of rain on the windward slopes. The west side of the metro area was in the lee of the Coast Range, thus quite a bit of a rain shadow there.
The flow of moisture shifts north on Thursday so the rain should finally cutoff in even the wet areas. As mentioned yesterday evening it appears we get some mild weather Friday through early next week.
Long range models show cool troughing the middle of next week with snow levels somewhere below 2,000′ again. Then ridging again afterwards as we head towards the middle of February. I always like February because it seems to pass by quickly compared to January, I suppose 2-3 fewer days in the month helps; maybe it’s the anticipation of Spring right around the corner too.
Here is the 00z GFS ensemble chart:
You can see the cool dip later next week and then a little warmer temps beyond. Note a few of the ensemble members probably have the 2nd ridge a bit farther offshore, thus putting us into cooler high pressure with a cold north-central USA trough a bit closer. The 12z run showed that, or was it the 18z? I forget.
As for the comments…sigh…there was some very brief drama earlier today in the comments. Luckily it didn’t turn into a big blowup as it did a year or so ago. Yes, it’s been that long. It was unrelated to anything that occurred here. I didn’t want to deal with that stupid behavior; it sounded like middle school kids arguing, so I just shut off the comments for the rest of the afternoon/evening. I’m much busier with more shows and responsibilities nowadays and don’t have time for that crap anymore. I don’t care what happened elsewhere and I don’t want it to spill over into this forum.
So this is how it goes:
1. Comments are back on
2. NO mention of any issues from any other group or forum.
3. If you bring it up or participate in an argument, you’re on moderation for at least the next two weeks.
4. If you don’t like something someone says about you I strongly suggest you don’t get into an argument about it.
Chief Meteorologist Mark Nelsen
FOX 12 Weather Blog 
Bring on 1989 cold snap and snow, or bring summer.
29th!
30th!
Well, I guess PDX gets no snow on 31 Jan yet again this year…
I’ll try again for the next one. 😥
Mayhaps some sunshine this afternoon? I’m loving that 7-day, Mark! I should fire up the smoker this weekend, run a leg of lamb or a corned beef brisket for 8 hours. Gotta take advantage of the incredible weather while I can, we may not see another warm & dry weekend like this until August! 😀
Maybe 4th of July, lol
Happy Birthday!
Thanks Mark! 🙂
The last 3 days my home has been stuck in the clouds with limited visibility and near perpetual drizzle. I guess it’s payback for the gloating about being above the fog in the recent inversionameggedon. Notice the congruence of the dewpoint and temperature the last 3 days, and consistent dribbling into my precip bucket (mother natures got her incontinent privates parked right over us in the northwest evidently)
http://www.wunderground.com/weatherstation/WXDailyHistory.asp?ID=KWABELLE4&day=31&year=2013&month=1&graphspan=week
I have absolutely *loved* the rain the last few days — sometimes living on the east side has its advantages. Nothing like a little orographic lift. The south breeze yesterday morning was refreshing, too — it may have been overcast above, but down below the air was crystal clear. Not even a hint of that evil fog…
Sun-Wed of solid clouds and rain here on the eastside. Those of us who haven’t up and moved south are real Oregonians! Or at least Willamette Valleytonians. These last four days were a real test of sanity. I’m actually looking forward to 52 deg and dry!
Hahaah! “It tends to keep pesky Californians away.”
http://cliffmass.blogspot.com/2013/01/a-strange-warm-rain.html
LOL runrain — love the contrast between your post and mine right above it. 🙂 Weather blog diversity.
The problem is it was only four days that is a short period of rain I remember weeks on end running together this past fall. Not to mention last spring. I certainly understand the meaning of real Oregonian but I am loving the aspect of sunshine warm hot weather for the next few years till I retire. I still have the Rockaway beach house and my brothers Condo in Collins lake to keep my web feet intact. Oregon is beautiful when the sun is out but the rain and gray has truly gotten to me at 52.
Ended at midnight with 4.03″ last 72 hours here at BG Lake. January rainfall total up to 8.30″. I have received 37.06″ of rain since the wet season started back on October 11th.
Thank god, ground hogs day’s almost here = winters theoretically half over!! (but us Sun lovers know he’s already dead)!
1/30/2013 Oregon (All) Temperature Summary
Warmest:
High:62 at BROOKINGS( 79 ft)
Low: 48 at PACCTY-2 Pacific(28 ft)
Coldest:
High:27 at HOWARD Mt Howard(8150 ft)
Low: 16 at Lakeview, Lake C (4734 ft )
Largest Diurnal Change: 28 degrees
GERBER RESERVOIR (47/19 ) (4950 ft )
Heaviest Rainfall:
1.88″ at CW2654 Corbett(1050ft)
1.79″ at PACCTY-2 Pacific(28ft)
1.72″ at OCNSID Oceanside(22ft)
1.71″ at MEARES Cape Mear(1421ft)
In a sense this is one of the busiest times of year for my deadline tasks. I don’t do the December holidays large – to me, the beginning of February’s far more important. I have my Groundhog Day essay to finish and a False Spring outlook to make after tomorrow’s Euro weeklies come in. Not to mention a bunch of more personal projects associated with the “spirit of the season”….
Lets hope that February is either drier or cooler. Not both.
I vote cooler!
What was the date on that “freak sudden” snow storm that no one was expecting that caused like 7 hour drive times on the highways?
Dec 29th, 2009 Erin. 😊
Is it safe to say winter is done?
Give it at least two more weeks.
Will do. Thanks! : )
My gut feeling is that this winter is done, but scientifically speaking, Mark is correct. I’ve seen arctic blasts happen as late as President’s Day weekend.
At least Mr. Nelson holds out hope.
I, like Boromir I am afraid, have lost hope. I can’t see any. If only Frodo would give me the ring I’d make it snow here all winter long!…
Thanks for putting a stop to that, Mark! Now back to talking weather on the weather blog. I’d say our last hope for snow is the last week of February, barring an overnight dusting in March.
Ya, Mark pulled out the big guns and cleaned up the town!
Let it snow!
2.84″ for me in BG. Constant rain again tonight, and fog.
I’m ready for 70+ and sunshine!
Another thing I notice in the ensemble maps…the ever so slight uptick in the average 850 mb temps. We are beginning our uphill toward summer.
I want snow !
Yay a post!
You in!