Western Washington Severe Weather December 2008 Day8 2:15pm

Frozen Sunshine

The skies cleared and the sun had a play day today. At about 9:30am the temperature was 28 degrees and the air was literally crystal clear. It sought out and found every single crystal of ice to play off of. I tried to capture some inside the camera. (click on them to view the full size image)

It's 25 degrees now, 2:34pm. The skies are gray but still bright and the wind has picked up to slight from nil.

Western Washington Severe Weather December 2008 Day4 1:00pm

It's Not Melting!!!

The tuna tin says the level has dropped a bit since last night, but it really looks more like settling and evaporation. It was 27 degrees at 7:30am this morning according to the window thermometer, and 25 degrees in Bremerton according to the TV. The frequent gusts of wind yesterday afternoon and last night have shaken loose all but the frost from the tree branches, and the steady wind and frequent gusts today are blowing even that around as it still refuses to melt. The sun has been shining since around 9:00am, so I expected a little melting but even now the ice crystals are flying past the window, glimmering in the sun.


I keep thinking I'm going to grab the camera and go find some fairy tale image to post, but... IT'S COLD OUT THERE! 27 degrees still according to both the window and MSN sidebar. The wind is steady, with those gusts I mentioned. And as I'm typing this, I can again hear a frog croaking outside the front door.... making me feel a little embarrassed. I mean, if the frog can bear it.... We'll see.

Western Washington Severe Weather December 2008 Day3 11:00am

Snow continued to fall sporadically overnight after my last post.

My eyes popped open a few times to check the snow on the branches outside the window, and while I saw that more snow had fallen, it wasn't enough to warrant waking. The tuna tin rain gauge has been transformed into a tuna tin snow gauge, none the worse for wear. But isn't it interesting that no snow accumulated INSIDE the tin...

It was exactly 31 degrees per the part time window thermometer at 8:00am this morning. The local weather stations were reporting anywhere from 28-32 degrees, depending on the channel. MSN sidebar is telling me that it's 28 degrees now, at 11:00am. From the way the snow is reacting to the slight gusts of wind that began around 9:30am, I'll buy the 28 degrees. Rather than falling in mushy clumps, it is dusting off to create a short lived glittery blizzard wonderland. I find myself looking for a long while, trying to convince myself it is snowing again just like when I was a kid sitting home on a snow day. In those days I lived on the east coast, where such daydreams were common place for kids in winter. Not so much here in the pacific northwest. Snow falls overnight, and slushes to the ground by mid-morning. Only a few times in a couple decades have the conditions been right for dry glittery snow here in South Kitsap.

The time stamp of 10:30 on the car hood has nearly been filled in, and it was a nearly an inch at that point. It's very cold and blustery out, so I'm not going to re-stamp it just yet.

To my surprise I can hear a frog croaking outside the house! 4 or 5 neighborhood kids passed by about 20 minutes ago, plastic sleds in tow. I'm not sure if they were heading out, or heading in, but it sounded like they were having fun. I hope they don't try to sled down the hill at the end of the drive, it's a blind hill for the cars and very narrow with no should at all... a recipe for disaster.

The view out the front is wonderful, if this much fell here in this tree and hill protected area, I imagine it's even whiter around the county.

Here's a full shot of the table the tuna tin 'precipitation' gauge is set on. The large pot contains an African pansy, which appears quite delicate but has actually turned out to be almost weedlike in it's proliferation as well as being slug-proof and freeze proof. It sets small violet flowers heavily in early spring and then sporadically through fall. Larger clumps will survive intact through winter, and smaller plants will die back to the ground only to emerge again in spring. But I digress... next to the pot is a garden fairy sculpture holding a mirrored gazing ball. I guess I should bring that inside.

I couldn't leave out the Wooby! She is curious and excited about the snow, but hates to get her feet wet... what a dilemma! She finally got over it however...

As of 11:30am there are no signs of melting, the snow is clinging to the tree branches and occasionally being blown around by slight gusts of wind.

Western Washington Severe Weather December 2008 Day2 12:00am

Final report for Day2 of the Western Washington Severe Weather blog.







The KIRO radar view isn't very accurate at the moment. It isn't snowing here at all, and a friend just called from his waterfront home on Oyster Bay, and it's rain/freezing rain mixed there as of 11:58pm. You'd never know it by the above radar image.


The temp still reads 28 from MSN, Schoolnet shows 31 degrees.

I found this next bit posted a little after 9:30pm

Issued by the National Weather Service at 9:37 PM PST on December 13, 2008

... Winter Weather Advisory in effect until noon PST Sunday...
The National Weather Service in Seattle has issued a WinterWeather Advisory for The Lowlands of the Puget Sound area and the northwest interior of western Washington... which is in effect until noon PST Sunday.

The combination of sub-freezing air moving into western Washington from the north and showers associated with an upper low will produce 1 to 3 inches of snow tonight across The Lowlands of the Puget Sound region and the northwest interior. Another 1 to 2inches of snow will fall Sunday morning as showers decrease from the north.

The biggest snowfall totals tonight will occur in western Whatcom... Skagit... and Snohomish counties where snow began earlier this evening and temperatures have been below freezing. This is also where snow is more likely to accumulate on roads. Snowfall in the Seattle area and over the south Puget Sound region will likely be somewhat less... but it will probably stick on roads by morning as temperatures fall below freezing.

With temperatures falling well below freezing overnight... moisture on roads and sidewalks will turn to ice. So people should expect difficult traveling conditions later tonight and Sunday morning along with snow accumulations of 1 to 3 inches.

A Winter Weather Advisory means that periods of snow will cause travel difficulties. Be prepared for slippery roads and limited visibilities... and use caution while driving.

1130pm and the temp has dropped to 28 degrees, possibly explaining why the snow has been reduced to teeny infrequent flakes. Still not a lick of wind.

Western Washington Severe Weather December 2008 Day2 9:38pm

Every picture tells a story:

And, as of 9:38pm, it's still snowing here in South Kitsap and we have a trace accumulation here where I am, fairly protected by embankments and trees. MSN says it's still 30 degrees, and is predicting rain for tomorrow.

Western Washington Severe Weather December 2008 Day2 7:00pm

The snow has stopped falling here on the hill in South Kitsap. MSN sidebar still reports the temperature as 30 degrees. KIRO's radar shows Kitsap county from Tracyton south to Sunnslope, east to Manette and west nearly to Belfair holding on to a bubble of no precipitation at all, frozen or not. While all around glares blue with snow from Sunset Beach north to the straights, east to Harper and west to at least Camp Union. This station's forecast calls for overnight lows of 31 degrees.

Western Washington Severe Weather December 2008 5:00pm

KOMO TV is reporting an unusually high tide (+1.5ft) today is combining with equally unusual high winds to make traversing the local floating bridge a tricking and sometimes scary task.

As I was leaving my house at 11:55am for those errands, the window thermometer read 40 degrees, and the rain had increased to a steady downpour. I also placed an empty tuna tin in a relatively clear space on the patio table to track the rainfall.

As I made my way through Bremerton, a stop at the bank at 12:23pm, the wind was more sustained and the rain was now mixed with freezing rain.

Back in Kitsap county around 3pm, the wind had picked up considerably and I almost lost my hat! Keys still in hand, I nearly knocked myself out trying to clamp the hat back on my head. (remind me to take some keys off that ring!) The store (Fred Meyers) was busier than usual, even for a Friday. Making my way back to the house on Highway 16, the tops of the trees were now bending seriously with the wind coming in from what seemed the east, and holding the small compact Honda on the road was a little difficult a few times. I noticed a fair sized fir branch had fallen, but no other damage and the power was still on! YEAH!

While I was putting the groceries away, my father called from Tacoma to make sure I was prepared. The wind is not bad in Tacoma, according to him. He was surprised to hear it was blowing on my side (the Narrows bridge separates the Tacoma from the Kitsap area), and we were both surprised that the power flickered while we were talking. 3 or 4 flickers, then steady electricity. Whew!

At 4:30pm, a friend from Chicago called. When I told him about the coming storm, he exclaimed "That's why my trip to Seattle was cancelled!" He flys a lot for work, and had been scheduled to come in Saturday morning. I let him know to stay by the phone, because I had heard from a guy at the store that the snow had been pushed back to Saturday from tonight. While we were talking, the power flickered again, for a longer moment this time. I thought I was a goner! It came back on however.

At 5pm, a friend on the other side of town called, sounding a little frantic. "Are you OK?" Yes, I said. I'm fine, what's wrong? She explained that the entire town of Port Orchard seemed out of power. She had just come back from cutting a Christmas tree, and had planned on hitting the grocery on the way home. Her first choice was out of power, and then the street and traffic lights went out. She headed across town, hoping to leave the 'no power zone' behind, but never did find a single store open, so was sure I too was out of power. (and without a generator and knows I refuse to burn wood). It seemed to me the wind had died down a lot, and thought I should be OK. She of course offered to let me come and stay over should that change. I'll be making that a last resort thought, she has 2 bed ridden sickies over there! Checking the tuna can rain gauge, and only about an 1/8 inch seems to have fallen, it sure does seem like a lot more. I guess it must be the wind making it seem just that much more miserable.

It's 5:30pm now, and Steve Poole has just reassured us all that the storm is still coming. The mid-day snow has changed to midnight rain-snow mix, and in fact the snow is appearing now on radar at the northwestern edge of the Olympic mountains. Freezing rain is appearing on this side of the mountain shadow, and a solid band of rain covers the rest of western Washington from border to border, shore to Cascade mountains. Steve predicts the snow should hit me around 6am.

Breaking news while I'm watching:

Wind temps around the area:

Destruction Island: 86mph

Forks: 69mph

Hoquiam: 58mph

Alki Beach: 52mph

Seattle 45mph

Tacoma 45mph (Dad?)

Friday Harbor 47mph

Western Washington Severe Weather December 2008 10:30am

The Weather is Coming! The Weather is Coming!



We are gearing up for our first winter storm here in the pacific northwest today. I've become quite addicted to local area weather bloggers over the past couple of years, and while I don't think I want to blog daily about it, this storm might be interesting enough to give it a try.



The title link will take you to the NOAA's national weather site for the seattle area.


• A strong Pacific storm will move into Western Washington Friday bringing:


– Abrupt transition to much colder temperatures across the region

– Heavy mountain snow


– Threat of lowland snow Friday night through the weekend


– Outlook into next week is continued cold with some moderation around mid week

I'll be spending the storm in Kitsap County, where the snowfall is predicted to be between 2 and 8 inches. Most of the county enjoys protection by the olympic mountains from the buffeting ocean winds, and warmer temperatures along it's sound. From time to time however, that cupped feature can trap cold air allowing for rare but significant amounts of snowfall.

The morning started off windless, and dry. Over the past hour (930a-1030a) the wind has picked up in gusts, sending the tree limbs swaying. The gusts have slowed now (1045a), and the periods in between are calm. The rain began lightly falling about 930am, and is now quite steady. The thermometer (digital, suctioned to the exterior of my double pane kitchen window) says that it's 41 degrees out, while the MSN sidebar weather tool says it's 37.

I can see that the next door property owner has cut down several trees recently that overhung the yard and possibly parts of the home. Good thinking in this circumstance, however the trees were located on a quite steep embankment leading toward the residence. The root systems from those trees appear to be integral to the integrity of the embankment. I hope the higher than normal rain prediction for our area this winter doesn't cause problems over there. The home I am staying in is surrounded by quite large trees with long (very) branches extending out to catch the light. After seeing 1 inch thick ice on tree limbs this morning on the news (not around here) I am a little nervous for the freezing temperatures predicted for a couple days from now. Even now, simply the weight of the rain water is bending some of these branches. Add the weight of snow and then freeze it ....

That having been said, I'm going to throw on the rainboots, scarf and hat now to scurry off to the store for some last minute supplies. I don't need much, as I don't have a generator and refuse to burn wood in the fireplace. So, if the power goes out I will be heading to the nearest friends/hotel with power.

I will add a blog post again when the weather changes, and will possibly include pictures/video if it gets very interesting. So, if following local weather blogs is your thing, or you are just interested in south Kitsap county weather as it happens over the course of this storm, stay tuned!