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