Rain and Snow pelts Northwest

Wednesday, December 27, 2006


Any where from a trace upwards of three inches fell in some areas of Puget Sound early Wednesday. From Shelton through Olympia north to Seattle and Everett and over to the Cascade foothills.

NOWCAST - A deformation zone set up behind the cold front that moved through the state Sunday and pulled cold north winds down which lowered snow levels in the heavier showers to the surface. The snow fell as far south as Olympia. Some communities had three inches of snow on the ground early today. Warmer temperatures and rain showers melted most of it later in the day. Rain fell in other ares with 1-2 inches in Clark County and 6-10 inches in southern Oregon. It looks like our weather will settle down for the rest of this year with a split flow in the jet stream weakening incoming storms. So, just some clouds, a chance of showers and seasonal temperatures through the weekend. Fog at night with frost may occur as well.

FORECAST - Tonight: Clearing skies and frosty. Areas of fog forming late. Lows 25-30. Calm winds.

Thursday: Some low clouds or fog in the morning with black ice and slippery streets, then mostly sunny. Highs around 40. East wind 5 to 10 mph. Near the gorge...light wind becoming east 15 to 25 mph in the afternoon.

Thursday night: Mostly clear in the evening...then mostly cloudy. Patchy fog after midnight. Lows around 30. Northeast wind 5 to 15 mph. Near the gorge...east wind 10 to 15 mph increasing to 20 to 30 mph after midnight.

Friday: Partly sunny. Patchy fog in the morning. Highs 40 to 45. East wind 10 to 20 mph.

Friday night: Mostly cloudy with a chance of rain. Lows around 35. East wind 5 to 10 mph...except east wind 15 to 25 mph near the gorge.

OUTCAST -

Did you know that the state of Washington is among the nation’s top states where Presidential weather-related disasters are declared? I had several requests to include the list again so here you go. According to the National Weather Service office in Seattle, the following were the top ten weather events last century.

  1. October 12, 1962, Columbus day Wind Storm: It was the strongest widespread non-hurricane windstorm to strike the continental U.S. in the 20th century.
  2. May/June 1948, Greatest Spring Snowmelt Flooding: This includes the Vanport Flood in the Vancouver/Portland area and numerous high water marks around the Evergreen state were established. The flooding lasted for 45 days.
  3. January 13, 1950, The January 1950 Blizzard: 21.4 inches of snow fell in Seattle with winds of 40 mph, which claimed 13 lives. Some low elevations in western Washington had 50 inches of snow over several days.
  4. August 20-September 9, 1910, Massive Forest Fires: Occurred in eastern Washington with three million acres of timber scorched. 85 people died including 72 firefighters.
  5. May 18, 1980, Eruption of Mt. St. Helens: Ash fell like snow drifting as deep as two feet with over 60 lives lost.
  6. March 1, 1910, Stevens Pass Avalanche: The deadliest avalanche in U.S. history occurred near Stevens Pass claiming 96 lives.
  7. April 5, 1972, Deadliest Tornado Outbreak: Tornadoes struck Vancouver killing six, in Spokane and also one in Stevens County.
  8. February 1996, Widespread Flooding: record flooding in many areas with three deaths.
  9. January/February 1916, Seattles Greatest Snowstorm: Seattle’s record 24-hour snowfall occurred with 21.5 inches and received 58 inches during January and February.
  10. November 1990, Statewide Flooding: Wide spread flooding caused $250 million in damage and killed two persons. The I-90 bridge over Lake Washington sank.

OFF TOPIC - Another president has departed us with the news that President Gerald Ford died at the age of 93 years on Tuesday. He lived a long good life reaching the office of President without even trying. Or did he? In past interviews he says his goal in life was to be Speaker of the House which he succeeded. As far as he was concerned at that point, he had done what he wanted to achieve in life. But life had other plans to use him. Next came the VP job after Agnew resigned, then the Presidency after Nixon resigned. Wow! I bet he never expected that. But he stood up to the challenge and spoke the truth and did what he thought was best even at risking his own career. But remember, he had already reached his goals. You never know what life is going to throw at you. Are you still striving to reach your goals? Have you made any goals? Would you be ready and willing to accept the challenge of an unexpected offer of greatness? With the new year upon us, it is a good time to reflect on our past, look forward to the future and discover our possibilities. Aim high and be ready for the next turn in your life. You may be offered a chance without even trying.

MY Quote of the Day - "By looking at the past we have a chance for the future." - Pat Timm





-- posted by Pat Timm @ 7:49 PM,

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