October 2009 Revisited

Compared to historical averages, October in Hood River was cooler, a little drier, and less windy.

The average temperature (50.5°) was 0.8 degrees cooler than long term averages, and 1.8 degrees cooler than more recent averages (2000-2008). This reversed the previous 3 month's pattern of warmer than average temperatures. In this century, only 2002 and 2007 were slightly cooler at 50.4°. There was 2.23" of rain, compared to an average October precipitation of 2.38". The wind speed was considerably lower than average. This was the least windy October since at least 2002.

October was especially notable for having an early frost, and an extremely early snowfall (see previous blog post). But the snow melted fast, and didn't count as an official MCAREC Hood River record. Still, it was a lot of fun to watch, and it was the earliest snowfall in Hood River in my memory, which goes back to 1976. Assuming my memory is correct, which isn't a given.

There was 1 officially confirmed local weather record set in October. On the 13th, the high temperature only reached 40°, breaking the previous "low high" of 49° set in 1966.

The data below is from my home weather station. To view its monthly summary and graphs at Weather Underground, click here.

The "historical average" numbers for temperature and rainfall are from the Hood River MCAREC data. Historical wind average is from my station's 2000 to 2008 data. Note that average wind speeds include all 24 hours of the day and night, which is why they are way lower than daytime peak winds. In addition, the wind speed at this station is considerably lower than on the Columbia River.

	High	Low	Average	Historical Average
Temperature (F)	69	27	50.5	51.3
Wind (mph)	31		1.3	2.1
Rainfall (in)	0.56		2.23 (total)	2.38

Global Warming... Yeah, Right

I keep hoping that climate change will extend the growing season in Hood River. My hopes keep getting dashed. The first frost of the season (at city elevation) arrived Oct 11, and it came with a record-setting vengeance. The previous Oct 11th record low of 28° (1980) was easily brushed aside by the 25° low measured at MCAREC's HOXO station.

But, as fun as THAT was, it was just the prelude... and, the setup. Two days later, on Oct 13, a Pineapple Express began to move in over the top of the cold air. This produced what may have been the earliest recorded measurable snowfall in Hood River! The previous earliest snow date for Hood River was Oct 29, 1935.

We'll have to wait for MCAREC's official data on this, but I'm estimating up to 0.5 inches of snow built up in areas around town. It melted fast, which may affect whether it was "measurable" or not, but in any event, it was awesomely cool to see snowfall this early in the season.

But wait! There's more! The high temperature that day only reached 40°! That totally demolished the previous "low high" record of 49° (1966).

Thus, October 13, 2009, might well have been a rare "three-fer" in the world of Hood River weather records. Earliest measureable snowfall, most snowfall on any Oct 13, and the record "low high" for the date.

So I think I'll wait at least one more year to plant citrus trees here. But... if we had some global warming...

Thanks to Dave from the weather chat room for the link to this catchy little tune.

September 2009 Revisited

Compared to historical averages, September in Hood River was warmer, drier, and less windy.

The temperature was 3.5 degrees warmer than long term averages, and 1.1 degrees warmer than more recent averages (2000-2008). This was the warmest September since 2003. There was 0.70" of rain, compared to an average September precipitation of 0.92". The wind speed was considerably lower than average. This was the least windy September since 2002.

September continued the warm, dry trend of June, July, and August. Otherwise, the month was pretty nondescript. There were welcome light rains around the 5th and 29th; nothing spectacular, just enough to settle the dust.

We wrapped up the water year (which runs Oct 1 thru the following Sep 30) with a surplus. The average yearly rain in Hood River is 29.92", give or take 0.50" depending on the database referenced. My station received 32.67", while the more official HOXO station received 33.33".

There was 1 local weather record set in September. On the 14th, the low temperature of 61° broke the previous "high low" record of 60° set in 2007.

The data below is from my home weather station. To view its monthly summary and graphs at Weather Underground, click here.

The "historical average" numbers for temperature and rainfall are from the Hood River MCAREC data. Historical wind average is from my station's 2000 to 2008 data. Note that average wind speeds include all 24 hours of the day and night, which is why they are way lower than daytime peak winds. In addition, the wind speed at this station is considerably lower than on the Columbia River.

	High	Low	Average	Historical Average
Temperature (F)	94	40	64.0	60.5
Wind (mph)	33		2.6	3.4
Rainfall (in)	0.20		0.70 (total)	0.92

Full Harvest Moon... time to celebrate!

In The Arms Of The Angel

We had to say goodbye today to our beloved cat, Fluffy. During 21 years of faithful companionship, from the day he showed up unannounced as a kitten on our deck in 1988, to the present day, he was a bundle of sweet cat-ness and a joy to have around.

He loved to: eat, sleep, sunbathe, play with us and the other cats inside and outside, chase and retrieve cat toys, wallow in catnip (above), and lay in laps (especially the ladies laps... my lap was usually his reluctant second choice). And, for the last couple of years, he had taken to sleeping cuddled up next to me at night, often gently grabbing my arm and and laying his head on it as he slept. That was killer. That I'm REALLY going to miss...

But, at the end, as arthritis, frailty, failing coordination, and generally failing health got progressively worse, it became painfully clear that it was time to let him go. 21 cat years, after all, is something like 100+ human years; and he deserved and received a mercifully peaceful passing.

Rest in peace, old friend. Thanks for all the good times. Sweet dreams...

Another One Bites The Dust

We set a new Hood River "high low" record on September 14. The low temperature at MCAREC's HOXO automated weather station only got down to 60.73° (I wish they could be more precise). That squeaked by the old record of 60° set in 2007. Clearly, global warming has us firmly in its grasp.

On another, not totally unrelated, subject: I am thinking of creating a site visitor survey (not a poll) as to whether or not I should create a "Hood River non-weather-related-controversial and/or bipartisan subjects" chat room. My dilemma is, about the time I think I really should separate that stuff out, it dies down to a reasonably entertaining roar. Anyway, stay tuned...

August 2009 Revisited

Compared to historical averages, August in Hood River was warmer, drier, and windier.

The temperature was 3.9 degrees warmer than long term averages, and 0.6 degrees warmer than more recent averages (2000-2008). There was 0.12" of rain, compared to an average August precipitation of 0.37". The wind speed was higher than average.

August continued the warm, dry trend of June and July. The first 3 days were above 90°, winding down from the intense heat wave of late July. From there, temperatures dipped considerably below normal for a couple of weeks. On August 11th, rain came (briefly) back after a 66 day dry spell. Starting August 17, a short 3 day heat wave sent the temperature soaring to 104° (at my station). Then, a cool down, followed by a one day blast of 98° on Aug 27. Wind sports enthusiasts had an excellent month, with winds on the river officially reaching "nuclear" levels on quite a few days.

There were 2 local weather records set in August. On the 12th, we received 0.04" of rain, and on the 19th, the official high temperature reached 101°.

The data below is from my home weather station. To view its monthly summary and graphs at Weather Underground, click here.

The "historical average" numbers for temperature and rainfall are from the Hood River MCAREC data. Historical wind average is from my station's 2000 to 2008 data. Note that average wind speeds include all 24 hours of the day and night, which is why they are way lower than daytime peak winds. In addition, the wind speed at this station is considerably lower than on the Columbia River.

	High	Low	Average	Historical Average
Temperature (F)	104	46	70.5	66.6
Wind (mph)	33		5.0	4.3
Rainfall (in)	0.09		0.12 (total)	0.37

112 Years Ago

Just a quick post to let you know (and to make sure I don't forget) that we broke a 112 year old high temperature record for any Aug 19 in Hood River. Yesterday's official high of 101° broke the old record of 99°, set in... get this... 1897.

(I vaguely remember that year, and if memory serves, I didn't have A/C at the time. It sucked.)

The past 3 days were a more typical heat wave around here; characterized by a heat low that moves day by day from PDX, to HR, and then to TD and points east. A taste of extreme heat; breaking just in time as the west wind returns and brings relief.

Summer Rain

It's not unusual for summer in the Hood to be dry. July thru August, and sometimes all the way into mid-October, we can go for long stretches without a drop of rain.

But June, an often wet month, well known for swelling local cherries to bursting with untimely downpours, turned off the rain on June 6th.

And it left the tap off until August 11... when 0.03" of delicious, glorious warm rain fell on our heat-wave parched landscape, relieving a 66 day long dry spell. Sweet...

Even sweeter, a record amount of rain was recorded the next day, August 12. Odd that a mere 0.04 inches of rain would break a record (0.03") that dated all the way back to 1922, but hey, if you're gonna try to break a rain record, this is the time of the year to do it.

July 2009 Revisited

Compared to historical averages, July in Hood River was way warmer, totally dry, and less windy.

The temperature was a sizzling 6.7 degrees warmer than long term averages, and 2.4 degrees warmer than more recent averages (2000-2008). This was the warmest July at my weather station since I started keeping reliable records in 2000. There was no measurable precipitation, compared to a July normal precip of 0.23". The wind speed was considerably lower than average.

Following a warm, dry June, July continued the trend. The first 4 days were above 90, with a 98 degree high on the 2nd. Another brief hot spell in the middle of the month, followed by a quick dip to low 70's highs, and then... and then....The Mother Of All Heat Waves arrived. I pretty much described it in the previous blog post, but let me just restate: It was too hot. It was too humid. It was too long.

Oddly enough though, there were only 2 official local temperature records set in July. See the previous blog post for details. It certainly seemed like there were more records than that during the extended heat wave, but maybe that was just my brain frying...

The data below is from my home weather station. To view its monthly summary and graphs at Weather Underground, click here.

The "historical average" numbers for temperature and rainfall are from the Hood River MCAREC data. Historical wind average is from my station's 2000 to 2008 data. Note that average wind speeds include all 24 hours of the day and night, which is why they are way lower than daytime peak winds. In addition, the wind speed at this station is considerably lower than on the Columbia River.

	High	Low	Average	Historical Average
Temperature (F)	107	48	73.8	67.1
Wind (mph)	34		4.1	5.2
Rainfall (in)	0.00		0.00 (total)	0.23

In The Summertime

So, in the cold, gray, inversiony days of winter, you wanted summer to get here, right? Warm, gloriously sunny days? Catching some rays while enjoying outdoor activities? Maybe even a nice little heat wave for the icing on the cake?

OK, we've had all that, including the heat wave, and the icing on the summer cake melted away days ago. We are currently in one of the most persistent and humid heat waves to hit the Pacific Northwest in a long, long time.

Temperatures hit the low 90's on July 25th, and haven't looked back since. At my weather station, the last 4 consecutive days have exceeded 100 degrees, maxing out at 107 on Tuesday July 28th. Today's temperature has moderated a bit under the influence of west winds and a touch of marine air, but temperatures are expected to go up again over the weekend.

And, since (apparently) one of the reasons I was put here on Earth is to point out when Hood River weather records are broken (or, in this case, tied), here goes:

• Tuesday, July 28, the high temperature of 104 broke the old record of 103 (2005).

• Wednesday, July 29, the "high low" temperature of 69 tied the record set in 1998.

• Friday, July 31, the "high low" temperature of 69 broke the old record of 65 in 2000.

As I've mentioned previously, these records are based not on my own station's data, which would have produced more records, but on the MCAREC automated surrogate station HOXO. I'd like to use MCAREC's data directly, since the historical database comes from there, but the data is not easy to come by on a timely basis. Not their fault; software and other issues currently hinder timely online availability of data. I appreciate "doc" in the chat room bringing me up to speed on where that stands, and the fact that MCAREC is managed by NOAA and HOXO is managed by BLM. But, according to NOAA, the two stations' data correlate nicely, so for now I'll use the automated station. And the folks at MCAREC can correct me if necessary.

Stay cool, the best you can. And enjoy all the good things summer has to offer!