Cold winds

Courtesy:  NOAA/NWS, Portland, OR   Monday, 29 December 2014

SYNOPSIS:   A turn to much colder and windy weather is expected today tonight. Snow showers will continue over the Cascades this morning. We will see spotty accumulations of snow as low as 500 to 1000 feet this morning. Then will see clearing as the cold offshore flow increases later this morning and afternoon.  Winds may gust 30 to 45 mph at times across much of higher terrain, but strongest winds will be in the western Columbia River Gorge where cold east winds will gust 55 to 70 mph.  Winds will also be brisk across the coast range and the coast, and work their way south through the Willamette Valley Tuesday. Low temperatures will fall into the teens and lower 20s beginning Tuesday and Wednesday night. Highs in the valleys will struggle to reach 32 degrees Tuesday through Thursday, with 30s at the coast, and single digits and teens in the Cascades. The winds in the Cascades Monday night and Tuesday morning could produce dangerous wind chills of 15 to 25 degrees below zero.

PRIMARY AREAS IMPACTED: 

Columbia River Gorge:  East winds 30 to 40 mph with gusts to 70 mph at the typically windiest locations at the west end. The winds will increase during the day today, with the strongest winds will be tonight and Tuesday. Wind chills of 10 below to 10 above zero are possible.

South Washington and North Oregon Cascades: East winds will increase during the day today, reach 15 to 30 mph with gusts to 55 mph tonight and Tuesday. Wind chills could reach 20 below zero, and a Wind Chill Warning is in effect for tonight and Tuesday morning. Another 1 to 4 inches of snow are expected this morning before the snow showers end by early afternoon.

North and Central Oregon Coast Range and Willapa Hills of southwest Washington: East winds will increase today, and peak tonight and Tuesday with 20 to 30 mph with gusts to 45 or 50 mph, especially at higher elevations.

Cold

Weather is forecast to get cold for the next few days. 
Temps are said to drop into the 20's which means 25-35. 
Long term can cause some root and plants in pots damage.

Forsythia

The local forsythia in Springfield are sending forth
 its yellow glory, and it is just before Christmas which
is good as a unexpected Christmas present..,,,,..bad as it
 is a  month or more earlier than normal.  Keep an eye
open for other "early" happenings.


Fruit trees have finally lost their leaves.  Let the pruning
begin.  If you have only a few trees to prune, wait until
February.  OSU Extension-  Lane County has two pruning
classes coming up;  one in Florence, Jan. 8, Thursday; 
meet at the Florence Event Center at 9:00am and Jan. 10 at
10am at Thistledown farm.  Go to the OSU Extension - Lane
 County - Home Gardening web site to get information and
to register.  There is a list of other pruning classes. 


Linn and Benton counties have two pruning classes - Jan. 22
at Lewis Brown farm and Feb. 17 at Grandpa's farm, Crabtree. 
Go to the Linn or Benton county web site to register and get
more information.

12-19-2014

Friday December 19

<< Yellow Alert for Flood Potential >>

Too bad the last big weekend before Christmas will be trumped 

by a major rain event.

The dark clouds & buckets of rain are on tap. Portions of the west 

slopes of the Cascades could receive 4-8 inches in 24 hrs or less. 

Snow level will rise, so all the precip will rush downstream to low

 spots. Be alert if your abode is near flood-prone waterways. Wind 

will be noticed.

It will begin to dry down by Monday afternoon. Rather mild temps,

 too. The next interesting system arrives on Christmas Eve. There is 

consistency in a wet, cool storm moving in as the holiday arrives. 

SNOW levels will most definitely drop as cold, dry air sweeps in 

behind the system on Christmas Day. If enough moisture remains, 

it may be cold enough for snow showers for some white flakes at the

 surface, esp. north of Salem/Olympia. Ground will be too warm for 

sticking stuff.

Generally, it will be mostly dry and chilly the week after Christmas, 

turning either very COLD or back to rain by the New Year. There may 

be rain/snow mix showers around the 27-28th. You should be prepared

 for an Arctic event, just in case (meaning, you are not home and freeze

 protection readiness is needed before you go).

-Rufus

http://ovs.com/wx-cafe

This week

More clouds and rain.
Lows temps raining from 31 - 56.
Hi temps ranging from 49 to 57.
Leaves are finally falling form the fruit
and nuts trees.


Cole (cold) crops still growing.


Probably time to put the garden to bed unless
you are a hard core grower.  Yes, we can grow
many cole crops, depending on the  weather and
how cold it gets.


Crops such as garlic, kale, chard, table beets,
carrots, broccoli, cabbage and Brussels sprouts.


Weeds need be controlled.


Leaves need mulching  or raked into the flower beds.


If you have a compost pile, make sure that you cover
the pile with a good tarp to keep the rain water off of
 the pile.

Now what

Many of the hazelnuts are loaded with nut buds. Young
Jefferson's are loaded with nut buds and loaded with catkins.


My apple tree leaves ARE turning yellow but still on the trees. 
Pears and prune leaves are gone.  Maple leaves are on the ground.


Lilac buds are already 1/2 inch long.  Iris and garlic are up about 8 inches.


Rain gauge shows 7 inches of rain so far for November and December.


Tie to prune most fruit trees and berry bushes.


Moles and gopher going crazy.  Knock over the current mounds in the
 pasture.  In the morning, count how many new mounds have re appeared.
Count the number of new mounds = the number of moles or gophers.

High winds

Oregon Wind Event?

Special Statement

Potential for very strong, damaging WINDS Thursday morning if 

recent model solutions are accurate. Deep low center (973-984 mob) 

is progged to move north  and come onshore as it "fills" somewhere

 north of Astoria. If this storm develops as modeled, wind gusts at

 the coast likely to exceed 85-100 mph; inland across the Willamette 

Valley gusts higher than 60 mph are possible. Power outages and

 numerous falling trees will be the rule. Be prepared, just in case. 

This is short notice because the event has only recently been verifying

 on the computers.

Again, a potentially serious wind event may develop early Thursday 

over western Oregon. Please keep alert to Nat'l Wx Service notices.

-Rufus

http://www.ovs.com/weather_cafe.htm

Weather 12-8-2014

Edited from Rufus at Wxcafe

Monday December 8

Rain + wind = the forecast according to Rufus.  

The sound of rain will be dominant over the next couple of weeks.

Early in the period, the heaviest rain will storm into NW WA, Vancouver Is, as 

will the wind. Later this week, the pattern will shift south, sending steady rain 

into OR and, all of California.  Be aware that several deep-centered storms are

 lining up back stage and are set for arrival at approx 24-36 hour spacing.

 Why? A large, very cold upper-level trough of low pressure is now set up over

 the Gulf of Alaska.  

In fact, hints are for the 'jet stream' to shift and favor the coldest series of storms 

arriving into the PNW just before Christmas, teasing the entire region with the 

white stuff above 1,500 ft.

Summary: lots of rain, periods of moderate-to-strong winds for the next 14 days.  

 In fact, three systems are likely to bring notable rain to the entire state, starting 

this coming Thursday.

 -Rufus

 http://www.ovs.com/weather_cafe.htm

Weather and hints this week

The weather is typical for November.  For the Willamette
Valley, mild and wet.  Highs - 62 to 42 degrees.  Lows - 53
to just below freezing.  Plotted plants need to be protected. 
Place the trees leaves into the flower beds;  place the leaves
on the garden IF you have the weeds under control.  Then cover
 with a big tarp to smother winter annual weds and this lets the
worms get to the leaves.


The weather has been good for the lawn to continue to grow
so look for a dry day to keep the lawn under control....for the
 next four months.


Fruit trees leaves still hanging on but the wind is removing
some of the leaves.  No biggy, unless you have 100 acres that
needs to be pruned.


Plants still are moving into dormancy, we usually call plants
dormant when the leaves are finally off the plant.


For Thanksgiving look to see if there is anything still in the
garden - like chard, kale, broccoli, cabbage, beets, carrots that
 can be used as part of the bounteous gathering.  Most of the
apples and pears got to warm this summer and had center rot from
the hot weather and not enough irrigation.  Mine barely made it
off the trees before rotting.

November

November is here and so has the cold weather.  The next
while will be cool to cold in the AMs and during the day
temps between 42-51 degrees.  Also we will see nice sunny
days and the typical November rainy days.


Lots of leaves are being used and should be used for
insulating the flower and shrub beds, blueberries, berries,
 roses and garden areas.


If you have a compost pile, be sure to cover the pile to
 keep it from getting too wet.


Tree fruits STILL holding onto their leaves.  Maple, ash
and walnut trees almost bare.


Potted plants were hit hard;  so move them into protected
areas or compost.

Be prepared

The media is predicting cold and some storms in places.  Get
on the internet and check our local weather forecast  .Looks like
Tuesday before the cold so you have at least one more day.


10 day forecast - Western Oregon - highs of 51-54 and lows
 of 32-42.  Eastern Oregon highs - 40 and low 29-32.  Eastern - US -
Michigan - 25-36 with maybe some snow, then temps 19-21 later
 next week. 


Time to:  unhook hoses from the house and drain them.  Place
in a protected area. 
Drain any irrigation systems or sprinklers that may have water in them.
Cover faucets.


Warm season veggies - probably toast in the next few days. 
Cole crops - time will tell.
Apples - leave on the tree and then cider them.
Anti freeze any equipment that has a radiator or water.
Ponds - fill to the top.
Pump house - protect with plastic or warming light.

More sunshine

More sunshine this weekend.

Noticed - a lot green tomatoes, the yellow plum
tomatoes are still ripening and many are yellow.

Weeds - going crazy.

Maple leaves - falling pretty heavily.

Apple and fruit leaves - very green.  We need the
 trees to start  dormancy or the cold weather will
 damage the buds, leaf buds and branches.  Nothing
we can do at this point.  Don't prune as pruning will
cause the trees to send out new buds, which will freeze
 in the next while.

Still have green tomatoes ripening

What a great year.  Many other people and I have green tomatoes
still ripening on the vines.  They just continue to keep growing
and producing.  The colder weather is slowing them down but
they continue to ripen and grow.  Yeah.

For green tomatoes, as long as there is "jelly" in the center of the
 tomato, they can be picked and placed in newspaper and brought
into the house and they will slowly ripen.  Be aware that they may
start to rot pretty quickly, so green tomato "products" may need to be
made.  Check the tomatoes at least once a week for those that start to
 go bad.

Filbert harvest - mostly over.  Walnut harvest - mostly over. 

Cole crops - still doing well.

Warm season plants - most of the cucumber, zucc, pumpkins  -
powdery mildew has taken over on them. 

Great acorn squash year.

Control the weeds in the garden.  Mow the grass as needed.

Start emptying the water and irrigation lines, especially with
 the rain, but just be aware that the rain in NOT going very far
into the ground yet!!!!

Weather, Rain and temperature and drought conditions

This is a very good web site on:  weather, rain, temperature
and drought conditions in Oregon and across the United States.

The site has a lot of very good information.

http://www.wcc.nrcs.usda.gov/ftpref/support/drought/dmrpt-20141030.pdf

11-02-2014

I got to mow the grass this weekend - it had grown
almost three inches in the last month.

Usually, we start to prune berries and tree fruits
starting in late October or early November.  MOST
of  he leaves are still trees and bushes so pruning
will have to wait for while longer.

Still time to replant lawn seed.

Cold crops - still doing well.

Some fall raspberries and Asian pears.

Weather change

The weather has a taken a change - toward winter.
Still getting fall raspberries and in some cases, quite
 a bit of winter raspberries.

Apples - soft centers - due to not enough water this
year.  Most apples only lasted a few weeks.

Summer pears, prunes - great crop.  Table and juicing
grapes - very good this year.

The LAWN is starting to grow again.  Don't let it grow
toooo much this winter.  With the moderate weather,
we can still reseed bare spots.

Control the weeds in the garden, especially the grasses -
you can wait until spring, but not a good idea. The grass
take will over.

Leaves, I mean future compost are falling. Collect, compost,
or mulch with a lawn mower.  Set a goal to use more of the
leaves on your property each year.

Weather prediction

Rufus at the WxCafe®  Monday October 20

 A weak system is pushing across the PNW this morning, with a bit of a break in the steady rain possible now until later Tuesday. You may experience a shower or two. A much stronger storm will arrive later on Tues, with moderate-to-heavy periods of rain arriving on-off through most of Thurs. Another system will dive further south off the Oregon coast on Friday, then it shifts northward along the OR/WA coast.

 The weekend looks to present showers after the front on Saturday, then actually yield a decent, mild, mostly dry day on Sunday the 26th.  Models suggest the remnants of hurricane ANA will combine with a storm to its east, resulting in a powerful 978 mb centered storm that could slam into northern Vancouver Island late Monday, Oct 27. This one will return HEAVY rain to the PNW, with a notable wind field. Following the front, the coldest air mass of the season, which will have been drawn down over the eastern Gulf of Alaska, will train into the PNW during the week of Oct 27-31. The result will be slowly diminishing showers throughout the week, with cooler temperatures and risk for FROST overnight late-week, should the sky clear in your area. Snow will arrive in the mountains, mostly above pass level.

 Overall, the wettest run of several days in quite some time is on the way. Cooler, fall temps will also arrive later in the forecast period. Hope you were able to take advantage of the extra nice day - Saturday!  -Rufus   http://www.ovs.com/weather_cafe.htm

October

Some late apples and pears.

Pumpkin harvest and holiday hay rides on farms

Mornings getting cool. Reached 32 degrees.  However, the tree leaves are showing no affect to the cooler weather yet.  Some leaves are falling.

Hazelnut harvest continues.


Christmas cactus's pushing blooms.

Busy and productive

Grapes - best ever this year.
Hazelnuts  good crop.
Tomatoes - lots of green ones but they continue
to ripen.
Apples - mostly done.
Pears - mostly done.


Winter grass and weeds are on the rebound. 
Keep under control.
Clean an sanitize green house.


Think about draining water systems in the yard
and garden.
Watch for he return of the slug!
Trap or bait or mice - they start to move into building
in the as the weather gets colder - October, and in
 the spring - April.
When garden is done, mulch to help keep weeds under
control. Start placing leaves in compost pile or in areas
that need mulch.

Weather warning

Often it has proven to be useful to heed these Special Weather
Statements from Rufus at the WxCafe®. Robin

 HEAVY RAIN FOR EXTENDED PERIOD.

Hazelnut harvest, along with wine/concord grape harvests are underway.
If heavy rainfall will impact those activities, you have 3-4 days to prep for
 the deluge.

 Just know that precipitation will likely start first over the NW corner of WA
Saturday, then expand into Oregon when a well-organized system plows
 inland Sunday night. The wet pattern could last on through October 24th!

The strongest storm on earth this year, super typhoon named VONGFONG
is storming its way towards the southern islands of Japan. Models suggest
 that remnants of VONGFONG mid-level moisture will train into the PNW
later next week. It will super-charge the atmosphere for heavier rainfall
 potential.

The amount of precipitation forecast to fall in the PNW during the week of
Oct 13-17 will likely be measured in inches. The weekend of Oct 18,19
unfolds, another 1-3 inches are possible. Then, the week of Oct 20-24 could
bring on yet more rainfall - inches in fact - for a serious period of flood
potential. The extreme swing of drought-like conditions into a 2 week heavy
 rain period is why this Special Statement was deemed prudent. WIND: there
will likely be periods of strong winds, esp the along the coast, as these
systems track into coastal BC.

 Did we mention California yet? There is a good chance that the systems later
in the 2 week period ahead will bring much needed rainfall to areas of
 California from the bay area north. Some of the rain could be substantial.

 -Rufus

http://www.ovs.com/weather_cafe.htm