It sure didn’t feel like it for the last few days, but 2014 was a warm one! It was the 2nd warmest in Portland since the Airport records were established back around 1940. 1992 was warmer.
The warmest-ever August, September, & October months were amazing. Even December was tied for #5 warm.
It was a slightly wet year too, with just over 40″ of rain at PDX. Like the DUCK COLORS ON THIS ONE??? Seems appropriate for today.
We saw a classic winter inversion today with warm air moving into the mountains and cold air stuck in the valleys. One of the warmest spots in our area was up at the top of the Magic Mile chairlift. That’s a midday temp of 44 up at 7,000′. Yet it was in the 20s most of the day at Government Camp. From our Skibowl Weather Cam we could see something else. The top of the cold air appeared to be around 5,000′ because the trees have shed their snow above that elevation.
You can also see the temperatures jumping up and down at the Mt. Hood SNOTEL site (5,400′) the past 24 hours; good evidence of the cold air sloshing up and down a bit at that elevation.
What’s happening the next week or so? Not much, quite a dead weather pattern with upper-level ridging nearby for much of the next week. For skiers it doesn’t look good since freezing levels go very high Monday-Wednesday next week, although we might stay mainly dry if everything works out just right.
Feel free to put in your 2014 rain totals below…I’ll start.
Chief Meteorologist Mark Nelsen