Hood River Weather Chat Guidelines

The Hood River Weather chat room materialized out of nothingness (into something-ness) in December, 2008.   From Day One, the participants have been remarkably civil and polite, compared to a lot of other chat forums.   That's been very much appreciated, but it's probably useful to post some guidelines as to what the chat room is for, and which topics and/or behavior are off-limits.   This is an evolving document, and it's subject to revision and clarification as the need arises.  So, here's the guidelines:

1)  The Hood River Weather forum is intended to be a friendly, informational, non-confrontational space where people can discuss weather, recreation, local events, and most other items of local interest, as long as discussions stay civil and respectful.   However, subjects such as partisan politics, religion, and anything else that can (or does) turn into an shouting match, are strongly discouraged.  Posts that stretch that too much might be deleted and those users might be banned for a period of time.


2)  The weather forum is not a place to personally attack other people in the chat room, or to criticize/attack specific local people, companies, or public/private entities.   If you disagree with something, please phrase your comments in such a way as to not be attacking.  Simply provide another view, or a constructive suggestion, without criticizing the original comment or person that made the comment.   Also, if you have a complaint about a public or private entity or regulation, don't use the chat room for that.  Please contact those people directly.
  
In other words, be kind, considerate, and respectful, as you would like to be treated yourself.

3)  One of the biggest strengths of this forum is the ability to insert informational links.  Those doing so are encouraged to provide a few words explaining what the link is for; just providing the link without explanation can result in folks not clicking on it.

Along the same lines, it's suggested that comments be succinct and to the point; they are much more likely to be read that way.

4)  During times of interesting weather, especially when hazardous conditions are likely occurring, please keep comments mostly focused on the weather, road reports, and other public safety information.   Also, if reporting conditions at your location, please specify the general location.

5)  Thanks for following these guidelines!

Tending to chat rooms, and herding cats...

December 2013 Revisited

December 2013 was:

Above average: Solar radiation
Average or near: Wind
Below Average: Temperature, rainfall, snowfall

December's are usually cold, but this one was COLD.  My station's average temperature of 34.3° was colder than the long term December average of 35.7°, and colder than the more recent (2001-2012) average of 35.4°. The official average temperature in Hood River, recorded at HOXO, was 33.7°. 

The maximum temperature (at my station) was 57°, and the low temp was 1°. Official Hood River highs and lows (at HOXO) were 57° and 0°.

This December was notable in that a Ridiculously Resilient Ridge of high pressure planted itself offshore early in the month, and diverted nearly all moisture to the north for the rest of the month.   These ridges have been way too common the past few winters. They often result in inversions, and aren't good for increasing much needed snowpack.

Solar radiation averaged 96 Ly/day, compared to an average December of 73 Ly/day.

The 24 hour average wind speed (for the month) at my weather station was 1.7 mph, compared to an average December wind speed of 1.8 mph.  The peak wind gust was 30 mph on the 21st.  Wind speeds at other less sheltered locations (like the Waterfront) were, of course, higher. 

Barometric pressure peaked at 30.69", and the low barometric was 29.77".

Regarding rainfall, my station received 3.13", while HOXO recorded 2.98".  An average December receives 5.85", and our water-year-to-date precipitation continued to slip even further behind than in November.

Hood River received it's first measurable snowfall of the season on the 6th, when 2.0" fell, in the middle of the Arctic Blast.   An average December receives 8.6" of snow.

There were 2 local weather records set in December.  On the 1st, we were deluged with 2.23" of warm rain from the tropics, soundly breaking the old record of 1.07" set in 1942.   The warmth and the rain didn't last long though, as the Arctic Blast air moved in, setting a new low temperature record of 4° on Dec 4th.   The previous record was 9° in 2009.

These monthly summaries use data from my weather station located near May and Rand Streets in Hood River. To view my weather station's data for December 2013, click here.

For official Hood River data, and historical averages/records, the data comes from both the manually read NOAA station at MCAREC, and HOXO, the automated station located right next to MCAREC.

One of the more stressful yet strangely compelling tasks in life is getting ready for Christmas Day.   Between the putting up of decorations, sending cards (you still do that?), and trying to figure out who to buy stuff for, and what they might possibly want, it's all enough to drive one to drink, not to mention eat a lot.

However, there's actually a deeper meaning to Christmas, one that involves actual joy and celebration, as Paul Simon reminds us in this song, as only Paul Simon can do.

And here's a short "making of" video, explaining some of what went into the making of.