Pacific Northwest Weather

Website · #401 Postby **Brent** » Mon Jan 17, 2005 2:10 pm

W13 wrote:Amanda Park, WA is already up to 5.58" of rain today!

Dang...

W13 · #402 Postby **W13** » Mon Jan 17, 2005 2:11 pm

Brent wrote:
W13 wrote:Amanda Park, WA is already up to 5.58" of rain today!

Dang...

Yes, and they have a rain rate of 0.64"/h :eek:

W13 · #403 Postby **W13** » Mon Jan 17, 2005 2:12 pm

1.00" of rain in the Rain Gauge ... now on to 2.00"! :lol:

snow_wizzard · #404 Postby **snow_wizzard** » Mon Jan 17, 2005 2:17 pm

No...It definitely snowed after the floods in 1990. It got wickedly cold and snowy down here too. I have a feeling we are seeing history in the making here. It appears they could have a devastating ice storm in central WA and the passes. So much trapped cold air and moisture. They could be in huge trouble. The floods could end being ledgendary. That satellite pic is beyond belief! This has a decent chance of leading to a major cold spell by early Feb.

andrewr · #405 Postby **andrewr** » Mon Jan 17, 2005 2:21 pm

Aren't the systems suppose to lift North for a day or two before returning to us?

R-Dub · #406 Postby **R-Dub** » Mon Jan 17, 2005 3:15 pm

You know its really bad when NWS uses these words........"IF YOU LEAVE THE SAFETY
OF BEING INDOORS, YOU ARE PUTTING YOUR LIFE AT RISK"

WOW!!!!!!!!

URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE...CORRECTED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PENDLETON OR
1039 AM PST MON JAN 17 2005

CORRECTED TO ISSUE FOLLOW-UP FOR THE YAKIMA VALLEY ICE STORM WARNING

.A MOIST...PACIFIC STORM SYSTEM WILL MOVE NORTHEAST ACROSS THE
PACIFIC NORTHWEST TODAY INTO TONIGHT. THIS STORM SYSTEM HAS CAUSED
SNOW LEVELS TO RISE SUBSTANTIALLY. MEANWHILE COLD AIR REMAINS TRAPPED
IN THE VALLEYS BELOW 4500 FEET. EASTERLY FLOW WILL KEEP THIS COLD AIR
TRAPPED AT THE SURFACE THROUGH TONIGHT. ELEVATIONS ABOVE 3000 FEET
MAY CHANGE OVER FROM FREEZING RAIN TO RAIN TONIGHT...WITH
TEMPERATURES REMAINING BELOW FREEZING BELOW 3000 FEET.

WAZ025-026-181400-
EAST SLOPES SOUTHERN CASCADES WA-KITTITAS VALLEY WA-
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...CLE ELUM...ELLENSBURG..
GOLDENDALE AND NACHES
1039 AM PST MON JAN 17 2005

...ICE STORM WARNING EXTENDED UNTIL 6 AM PST TUESDAY..

FREEZING RAIN IS EXPECTED TO INCREASE THROUGH THE DAY AND TONIGHT.
SIGNIFICANT ICE ACCUMULATIONS WILL OCCUR NEAR THE CASCADES AND IN
NORTHWEST KITTITAS COUNTY WHERE ICE ACCUMULATIONS NEAR A HALF INCH
ARE EXPECTED THROUGH TODAY. ADDITIONAL ICE ACCUMULATIONS OF NEAR A
HALF INCH ARE EXPECTED TONIGHT IN THIS SAME AREA...WITH TOTAL ICE
ACCUMULATIONS NEAR AN INCH. ELSEWHERE...ICE ACCUMULATIONS FROM A
QUARTER INCH TO A HALF INCH CAN BE EXPECTED THROUGH TONIGHT. THE ICY
CONDITIONS WILL AFFECT TRAVEL ON INTERSTATES 90 AND 82.

AN ICE STORM WARNING IS ISSUED WHEN SIGNIFICANT ACCUMULATIONS OF ICE
ARE EXPECTED IN THE AFFECTED AREAS, RESULTING IN DOWN TREE LIMBS AND
POWERLINES. TRAVEL IS STRONGLY DISCOURAGED. IF YOU LEAVE THE SAFETY
OF BEING INDOORS, YOU ARE PUTTING YOUR LIFE AT RISK. FOR ADDITIONAL
WEATHER INFORMATION, CHECK OUR WEB SITE AT,
http://WWW.WEATHER.GOV/PENDLETON.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO AND OTHER LOCAL MEDIA FOR FURTHER
DETAILS OR UPDATES.

$$

R-Dub · #407 Postby **R-Dub** » Mon Jan 17, 2005 3:32 pm

4.5" of rainfall so far since midnight in wishkah!!! We are up to .91" here at my house at LK Goodwin.

1/17/05
12:28:04 AM CURRENT
Moderate Rain
Temperature (ºF) 48.6
Humidity (%) 100.0
Wind (mph) ESE 10.1
Daily Rain (") 0.91
Pressure ("Hg) 29.99
Dew Point: 48.6 ºF

TT-SEA · #408 Postby **TT-SEA** » Mon Jan 17, 2005 3:42 pm

O.K... went into work late today. Left North Bend at 11:30 a.m. in a complete monsoon. We were at 1.10 inches at my house since early this morning. Raining incredibly hard and FINALLY up to 40 degrees. Still big snowbanks around but melting fast.

Many cars and trucks sitting at our exit waiting for I-90 to improve over Snoqualmie Pass.

Heading west on I-90 numerous cars passed me that were completely caked in ice. Obviously they just came down from the pass.

Still trying to get some information on the 1990 event... when did it occur and did end the ski season?

The 18Z run of the ETA shifts the fire hose of rain north into BC by Wednesday morning. Other than Forks and Bellingham... Wednesday should not be too bad. And probably pretty warm as well.

snow_wizzard · #409 Postby **snow_wizzard** » Mon Jan 17, 2005 3:48 pm

Wow! The GFS based MM5 is showing some areas could have 15 or more inches of rain before this event is over. That is probably overdone, but it emphasises the point...this is not going to be an ordinary flood. The details of how this is unfolding, gives me the feeling this is going to be a national story for sure. It looks like the amazing string of moisture that is about 2000 miles long will be pointed at WA for 2 to 3 days. The ETA and GFS both show the band is aimed right at WA for the entire period. It will fluxuate slightly from the southern half to northern half. It appears every river north of Olympia will flood. My rain gauge is eating well today...about 1.5 inches so far. :eek:

andrewr · #410 Postby **andrewr** » Mon Jan 17, 2005 3:48 pm

Amanda Park is now up to 7.01" of rain. http://www.instaweather.com/KING/defaul ... 0&id=AMANP

R-Dub · #411 Postby **R-Dub** » Mon Jan 17, 2005 3:49 pm

The 1990 pineapple express happened the first week of December. Two weeks later we were frozen! And tons of moisture, so the ski areas recovered quickly. There is a snipit from the events of 1990 on the tape you will get TT. Big time flood waters up at fir Island were frozen solid when the arctic air hit.

TT-SEA · #412 Postby **TT-SEA** » Mon Jan 17, 2005 4:02 pm

I guess the Pineapple Express usually hits in November or December and not January.

I don't think the ski resorts will be so lucky this year.

snow_wizzard · #413 Postby **snow_wizzard** » Mon Jan 17, 2005 4:15 pm

TT...The point is, these things normally lead to very severe cold spells. The mountains are going to get slammed with snow before this winter is over. The lowlands could still be in for a big one. If this flood ends up being as extreme as I think, we could be in for it!

W13 · #414 Postby **W13** » Mon Jan 17, 2005 4:22 pm

Currently 44 F and 1.20" in the Rain Gauge. If this keeps up we could see 6"+ by Wednesday. :eek:

TT-SEA · #415 Postby **TT-SEA** » Mon Jan 17, 2005 4:23 pm

The warm air is reaching the mountains now with Stampede Pass at 29 degrees. That is a big jump from this morning.

TT-SEA · #416 Postby **TT-SEA** » Mon Jan 17, 2005 4:29 pm

From the Spokane NWS (does anyone remember this??)...

WITH THE LACK OF A STRONG HIGH PRESSURE TO THE NORTH CONTINUOUSLY INJECTING ARCTIC AIR...THIS EVENT WILL LIKELY NOT APPROACH THE BIBLICAL ICE STORM OF 1996 IN SCALE. WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY WILL REMAIN IN EFFECT THROUGH THIS EVENING AND WILL BE EXPANDED TO INCLUDE THE VALLEYS OF ZONE 4.

snow_wizzard · #417 Postby **snow_wizzard** » Mon Jan 17, 2005 5:00 pm

I am here to tell you this flood may be Biblical! Some places are already at 8+ inches and the worse is by far yet to come. By the looks of the satellite what we have had so far is only an appetizer. The satellite is showing the mositure band getting a "leafy" appearance. That usually means VERY heavy rain. The thing that makes this one so scary is the duration. This could be one that will be talked about for generations. I could imagine the Snohomish 8 feet above flood stage the way this is looking now. The trajectory of the "pineapple express" is very favorable for leading to a severe cold spell later. The ones that come straight out of the SW very near the coast are not as favorable. With this one the moisture is coming up well off shore and riding over the top of a flat ridge of high pressure. That is what happened in 90. That trajectory means the Snoqualmie, Skykomish, Snohomish, Stilly, and Skagit are in big trouble. I am astounded the NWS has not sounded the alarm bells yet!

TT-SEA · #418 Postby **TT-SEA** » Mon Jan 17, 2005 5:14 pm

I don't know... the ETA and the GFS show the rain really shifting north tomorrow evening. Only far NW Washington should be very wet on Wednesday.

After that there is more rain but with breaks in between.

W13 · #419 Postby **W13** » Mon Jan 17, 2005 5:16 pm

I am really starting to get nervous now. I have a wetland that backs up to my backyard, and from my backyard to the wetland there is a 10-12 foot bank. The wetland is filling up fast and has already risen 1-2 Feet (haven't gone outside yet to actually measure how far it has risen). If the rain continues like this or increases even more, we could be in very big trouble.

Currently 45 F and moderate rain. 1.37" of rain already in the rain gauge, and our rainfall rate is 0.16"/h

TT-SEA · #420 Postby **TT-SEA** » Mon Jan 17, 2005 5:20 pm

The other thing to consider... until now the snowpack has not melted at all. The freezing rain only serves to cap the snow and protect it a little.

They think it may be tomorrow afternoon before it gets above freezing at 3,000 feet and the serious rain may be shifting north by then.

Just speculation... but I think the timing of events is not perfect for massive flooding. There will be flooding... but hopefully not massive flooding. The very cold arctic air may hold just long enough to save us.

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