6:45pm Sunday
It has been a beautiful fall Sunday with temperatures reaching the low-mid 70s across the metro area. Quite a change from exactly one week ago! Remember that’s when the first rain was arriving. You may also remember models were forecasting up to 2″ or so rain in the valleys and 3-8″ in the Cascades, followed by sunshine. That’s exactly what happened:
Portland has now seen more than its typical allotment of September rain. Typically September is our 3rd driest month (after July & August). But this year we had a very dry start to summer with just over an inch of rain both in May and June. So this was a much-needed soaking. Notice the final rain totals in the mountains show a “season-ending” event for fire season in most of the Cascades…well before the typical time we’d see that happen. I just checked the morning fire briefing and every single fire is showing minimal fire behavior.
Of course with a dry week ahead I’m sure some fires will produce some smoke, but the woods don’t dry out easily the last week of September so it appears unlikely any fire will suddenly start charging the lines again. Good news!
The extra September rain has cemented this “water year” as the 3rd wettest in Portland’s history. This follows those crazy wet back to back years of 1995-1997. Water year is how we measure rainy seasons in the West. On this side of the Rockies most precipitation falls during the cool season, which means it is dropped into two different “yearly buckets”. So by starting each “year” on October 1st, all the rain/snow from one season gets put into “one bucket”. Then looking back we can easily compare rainy seasons. In this case we are wrapping up our 3rd wettest rainy season on record!
Looking ahead, the general plan for this next week is a building upper-level ridge over us, then it gets flattened next weekend. We get a somewhat strong “thermal trough” west of the Cascades late Tuesday through early Thursday. That means gusty east wind through the Gorge and over the Cascades, maybe out over the Coast Range too. This will be the first time since early in the summer that easterly wind will bring blue (instead of smoky) skies. Enjoy the warmup…a +17 degree (C) temperature at 5,000′ combined with offshore flow should push us well into the mid 80s for the last time this season. Then onshore flow and much cooler temps return Friday and into next weekend.
As the ridge builds tonight and tomorrow, a weak system dies as it squeaks by the ridge; Monday will see lots of clouds and maybe even measurable rain in spots north of Portland. So tomorrow may be a relatively gloomy fall day before the bright sun returns Tuesday.
For you gardeners, of course you don’t need to water right now (soil is wet) and you can probably get by all this week without watering. That’s because soil is slow to dry out in late September with the weak sun angle. But pots/containers will definitely need a soaking by midweek.
The next real soaking, or wet fall storm, will likely show up at some point early/mid next week. Using the ECMWF ensemble forecast system, you see the ridging still overhead next weekend:
But by the following Wednesday (10 days out) troughing with the associated showers & cool weather is back
Then at the 2 week point, ALL 3 MODELS (GFS, ECMWF, GEM) show a wet pattern with upper-level troughing filling the far eastern Pacific and Pacific Northwest. This is a wet mid-fall pattern
The message here is: USE THIS WEEK TO WRAP UP OUTDOOR PROJECTS, NEXT WEEK MAY TURN QUITE WET ONCE AGAIN. Now a bit more rain is fine, but let’s hope we don’t have a ridiculous October like last year. The entire month was a washout. 28 out of 31 days saw measurable rainfall. It was so bad that my (ex) neighbor told me that was the final straw to get him to move. Now he’s in Las Vegas…that’s quite a change!
Chief Meteorologist Mark Nelsen
(2017-18 Winter) coolish ENSO-neutral or weak La Niña? [img]http://iri.columbia.edu/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/figure1.gif [/img]
[img]http://iri.columbia.edu/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/figure3-2.gif[/img]
Having trouble listening to the morning weather report with Andy gone.
Turn up the volume.
00 GMT looks very chilly at hour 1416!
It appears I could see my last 80+ temperature here this week on thursday. In the meantime, after morning showers we’re seeing some clearing at noon.
Does anyone know what could be causing these “explosions” near Salem on the radar?
Bird migration?
1400z, that’s 7am PDT, which coincides with sunrise, so I second that bird idea. This time of year, it’s probably the Vaux Swifts.
I’m ready for windstorms, heavy rains and snows, arctic outbreaks meeting up with atmospheric river events and seeing what happens when we see an outright blizzard in the lowlands. But we have to get through fall first.
Sounds like fun!
Better make sure your seat belts are up to the task 🙂
I would buy a ticket for that ride!
We got some rain this Morning , hoping for a bit more sun for our giant tomatoes that are green right now with one that has just started turning ,
Also it was a very good season for Solar.
I can not complain with a $336.00 Credit
I know about those final Straws!
Some very light sprinkles on my walk from the MAX down to my office on the Downtown Waterfront this morning. The smell of petrichor was delightful.
Also got to say “Good morning!” to Mr. Ken Boddie along the way. Such a nice man, very friendly and an infectious smile. We cross paths a few times a month outside the KOIN tower on my way to work. He’s much taller in person than one might expect!
Yeah, camera Optics can be deceiving .
After skiing 2′ of fresh September snow at Timberline from top of Palmer to the Lodge on Saturday, I’m ready for the resorts to open in October!!! 🙏🏻
Yessss! I also want to destroy the record for the most snow up there. I want there to be 100 feet on the ground by April.
That was such good news until you threw in the 80 something day coming! Hopefully the last one of the year.
It is very possible that it will be the last 80 until April. How sweet is that?
Last 80 until February, Joshua.
Hopefully we have some 70+ and sunny days in October and I honestly wouldn’t mind one last 80+ day next month.
Ha. As crazy as the weather has been here, 80 in February isn’t happening. 71 is the all-time high.
80 in late March could happen. We’ve pushed 80 on several days near the end of that month.
As Crazy as the weather has been, we might say, um….eh could we get a thaw?
I am thinking of a winter of last year only double it.
I think we very well may have another record breaking winter this year.
Or who knows, maybe it will just be sunny and very cold.
I’m hoping for a colder than normal spring so my grass doesn’t start growing until April! 🙂
I was hoping to squeeze in one final week of biking to work, but now you’re throwing rain at me tomorrow afternoon… so scratch that idea.
Honestly, I’m ready for crisp, foggy mornings, multi colored trees, and shuffling my feet through piles of leaves on my way down to my office from the MAX.