Our official low this morning was 71 degrees at SEATAC breaking the previous max low temp of 69. SEATAC just hit 101 degrees – new all time high temp in Seattle!
Archive for the ‘Weather’ Category
2 Records in One Day!
Wednesday, July 29th, 2009HOT! HOT! HOT!
Monday, July 27th, 2009The weekend was in the upper 80s…Last night the low was only 67 so our house never cooled off. Today hit 92 and now at 11pm it is 80 degrees. I bet we don’t even drop below 70 tonight. This makes it rough in a house with no AC. The temps going forward – Tues 95, Wed 100, Thur 95…Holy Cow.
The record high, ever, in Seattle is 100. We could finally break that on Wed. If we get 5 days with 90+ temps, that would be a record as well. This is going to be a rough week for everyone.
Oh, and the dew points are high which keeps the nighttime temps high and the humidity is running around 50% – so I’m sweating a lot.
Update: Just to be clear, I LOVE IT! I love fun, exciting weather. We had rain and thunder the other day, now we have record breaking heat. I couldn’t ask for more. Well, AC would be nice.
Snowing Again
Sunday, March 15th, 2009Wow…this one is a surprise. The weather mentioned possible snow for the Kitsap but absolutely no hint of snow in Seattle. Well, it’s snowing moderately with a temp of 33 this morning – with a half inch already on the ground.
Ok…make that over an inch on the ground and still coming down. Temp has dropped to 32.
Probably got around 2 inches…now for the action photos!
Steph built an awesome snowman.
Zach having fun.
Nate getting a little chilly. Thanks to Mike and Emmy for the snow suit – it’s lasted for 2 kids!
Group shot.
A winter scene in West Seattle.
Snowing Again
Tuesday, February 10th, 2009Yesterday’s inch disappeared quickly as the day warmed up to about 40 degrees. This morning it is 32 and it just started snowing about a half hour ago (yep, it’s sticking). There is a winter weather advisory out setting out the expectation that we will get 1 to 2 inches of snow today before turning to rain this afternoon. Fortunately, I made Steph take the minivan (as it wasn’t snowing yet when she left but I knew it would be soon) which has AWD.
One quick note on the boys…I picked them up at daycare yesterday. Nate had been crying/screaming for about 20 minutes before I got there. This did not change on the way home nor at home. He basically cried for unknown reasons for the next 30 minutes before falling asleep in my arms at around 6pm. Anyway, he woke up around 7:45 and had a little dinner and went back to bed around 8:30…he’s still asleep. Zach was awesome last night…he was helping take care of Nate by putting blankets on him, he cleaned up his toys, ate all of his dinner and otherwise was just good. He also did the ABC song multiple times for us.
Surprise Snow
Monday, February 9th, 2009I woke up early this morning to leave for work. I was pretty surprised to see almost an inch of snow on the ground! The streets were clear (fortunately) but everything else was covered. I don’t believe it ever got below freezing so that explains the clear streets. What a nice way to wakeup.
Seward Park Trip
Saturday, January 24th, 2009To those who were attempting to enjoy Seward Park from 3pm to 4pm today…We are sorry. It was our kids who were screaming and ruining your enjoyable stroll through nature. Seriously, what a little terror Nate turned into today. That’s what happens when you deprive a toddler of a nap…or rather when he does the nap shaft. On top of that, when Nate wasn’t screaming, Zach was being annoying – it was a tag team.
We headed over to Seward Park and walked along the wooded trail along the ridge to the end – down to the water. We took the paved path back to the parking lot. While it was a beautiful and brisk afternoon, our boys made themselves heard loud and clear.
Playing at home this morning.
Trail at Seward Park.
While it looks peaceful, it really wasn’t with Nate screaming.
Ferns and moss growing on trees.
Zach posing with Lake Washington and the Seattle skyline in the background.
A view of Lake Washington.
To finish off the day, we came home and had a fire. BTW, it is now snowing outside although we are not expected to have any accumulation. We are supposed to get cold tonight and tomorrow – lows in the 20s.
Beautiful Weekend
Sunday, January 18th, 2009Yesterday started off foggy (after a week of low clouds and fog and temps staying in the 30s day and night) but we finally broke out for the afternoon. Today was absolutely gorgeous from sunrise to sunset. We even got to 50 degrees today. I spent time working in the yard and garage. I tested out our new kerosene heater (to be used to heat the garage in the winter or for emergencies) and pruned a large bush back to a few major limbs (it looks ugly now but by June it will be full and green).
We took the boys and Lou to the park. We spent a lot of time strolling along the water and at the playground. This trip to the park couldn’t have come soon enough – the boys are starting to go a little whacky being shut in the house.
View from the playground at Lincoln Park looking South.
Nate walking Lou (or vice versa).
Crystal clear view over the sound.
I also ran yesterday and today…I’ll start tracking my training on a separate page.
Rain and Wind
Tuesday, January 6th, 2009Two days ago we had 32 degree weather with 4.5 inches of snow. Tonight we are getting hit with high winds (gusts into the 40 to 50 MPH range) and we are starting to get heavier rainfall. Fortunately we live near one of the windier spots in the Central Puget Sound region – Alki Point. I just took a drive down there and checked out the action. Winds are a steady 25 to 30 mph but I’d say the winds up here on our hill are definitely gustier.
Here is a quick video I took.
I must admit – I really do enjoy the PNW weather scene!
No More Snow
Monday, January 5th, 2009At 11pm last night we had 4.5 inches on the ground…all gone tonight. It was 32 degrees last night and 43 degrees this morning. I got some pictures before the warm weather showed up.
Looking down our street.
Our snowy home.
Now we get rain..and from what they are saying, they expect up to 4 inches of rain in the Seattle metro area by Thursday. That is quite a bit for us. Then we get a dry and warm (upper 40s) weekend.
The recent cold weather has made me order a kerosene heater for those possible power outage situations (power only went out briefly last night). Here is a link to the heater that I ordered.
Snowing Again
Sunday, January 4th, 2009So snow was only partially in our forecast tonight. The thought was that we would get no more than an inch and it would change to rain…Well, 3.5 inches later and it’s still snowing. Buses are already stuck on our streaks and no plows or salt are to be seen. This is great!
i just hope our daycare will open tomorrow since Steph and I need a break from the boys.
Back to the snow, the latest is that it will change to rain between 10pm and Midnight…hopefully enough rain falls to clear the streets by morning.
Skiing Today and Some Images
Tuesday, December 30th, 2008I went up to Crystal Mountain with some friends today. We were between storms so while it was cloudy, the lighting provided great contrast on the slope for very good visibility. In addition, Crystal has been receiving daily/nightly snow dumps so there was plenty of Washington powder throughout the resort. We spent a few hours on some cruiser runs and then did two runs down Northway – there was some serious phat skiing back there. All double black or expert runs with plenty of powder. Anyway, two runs and my legs were spent as the vertical drop is about 3000 feet with the longest run being 2.5 miles – that’s quite a bit of advanced terrain. And it’s all ungroomed. No snow today and there were great views of Mt Rainier. Photos to follow.
Setup of the gifts on Christmas Eve.
Tearing into the gifts.
It’s mine, right?
The flying monkey. Mike and I had these flying howler slingshot monkeys.
I’m a happy boy…hubba hubba hubba.
Playing with my new racetrack.
Riding up the chairlift at Crystal.
Neighboring Mt Rainier…if it blows, we are goners.
Busy Couple of Days
Monday, December 29th, 2008Christmas Day was very cool. Over the last few weeks we’ve kept all presents hidden from the boys – mainly because we knew Nate would open then all if we put them out. On Christmas Eve after both boys were asleep we dragged all of the gifts upstairs and filled our living room. The next morning was very exciting to see Zach and Nate come out to a living room filled with gifts.
Gift opening took about 2 hours. Zach opened Santa’s gift first – a little remote controlled WALL-E (which is what he asked Santa for)…this has by-far been his favorite gift. He and Nate have also enjoyed some noisy gifts and they both love flashlights (we got them a few of those).
On Friday everyone left. Jan and Mike drove back to Eugene during the day and Lin took a late evening flight home. So, of course, on Saturday the boys were royal pains in the asses. We took them to the mall so daddy could by some toys for the house.
Most notable is the Logitech Squeezebox we set up in the living room – very cool wifi internet radio player. We’ve been listening to Pandora and some Bay Area favorite radio stations like KFOG, Alice, and KNBR.
Today the boys were in daycare so mommy and daddy took a fun day. We went skiing at Snoqualmie Summit – about an hours drive. It snowed all day which made for some soft conditions. This is the first time Steph has skiid in 3 years (it’s been 4 years since we’ve skiid together). All was going good until about 2 hours into our skiing and the wind suddenly kicked up. 30 to 40 mph gusts blowing all of the snow off of the trees and whipping oup the fine powder off of the slopes. Basically creating white conditions. Steph was done – she went to the bar. I kept skiing for almost another 2 hours – overall it was a good day.
Tomorrow I’m planning on heading up to Crystal Mountain for another ski day!
As for the weather…well, the snow is gone. High temps have been in the low 40s (high today at our house was 41) with lows in the mid 30s (currently 36 and windy) – so not very warm. Snow level is hovering around 1000 ft (we are at 500 ft). There is another stronger storm coming in tomorrow night and that will be followed up by a big storm on Thursday/Friday – that storm could pack damaging winds.
One of the big complaints from the recent snow was the lack of plowing which then resulted in no trash pickup. We missed 2 consecutive pickups…basically keeping 3 weeks of garbage and recycling lying around our yard. But today it was finally picked up 
Snowing Again
Wednesday, December 24th, 2008Yep, woke up this morning to a couple of fresh inches on top of the foot and a half we already have. This snow is supposed to turn to rain later today and back to snow tonight…The weather is calling for some nasty icey conditions tonight and tomorrow night. This weekend will see a warm up to normal temperatures (highs in the mid 40s and lows in the mid 30s) with rain. I suspect by the end of the weekend most of our snow will be gone 
I’ve been reading comments on the West Seattle Blog (www.westseattleblog.com) and it’s clear that West Seattle-ites are tired of the snow, but I’m lovin it. I’ll be bummed to see the rain later today…oh well, this stuff has been fun while it lasted. Although I can see how this can get annoying – I’d be completely irritated commuting in this everyday mainly because of how everyone else drives…irritatingly cautious. I’m not saying that you drive wreckless, fast, or dangerous. Nope, just that you actually go faster than 5 mph on non-icy pavement. It’s the overly-cautious that drive me whacky. If you can’t be safe and drive at a reasonable speed (ie, 20 to 25) then you shouldn’t be out.
Fortunately this has been the beginning of the holidays for many so traffic has been lighter than normal – at least on the roads. SeaTac has been a mess for departing passengers (arrivals seem good – at least Grandma made it safely and ontime).
Storm Recap
Monday, December 22nd, 2008Let’s recap quickly.
Saturday/Sunday (13-Dec to 14-Dec): 3 inches of snow, melted away by Wednesday.
Thursday (18-Dec): 6.5 inches of snow
Saturday (20-Dec): 7 inches of snow, 1/8 inch of freezing rain
Sunday (21-Dec): 4.5 inches of snow
The recent storms since Thursday have given us 18 inches of snow. Wow! The last significant snow event was December, 1996 when 2 feet fell out of 2 different storms right after Christmas – then it warmed up and caused flooding.
Yesterday, Mike and I took a few trips around town to check things out. We also took a spin down along the beach including Alki. It is amazing to see everything so well covered in snow. The streets have several inches of snow and ice on them. The main roads are plowed and sanded but still covered in snow with a snow depth of 1 to 2 feet in the median. Today is supposed to be warmer with a high of 33 (right now it is 30) and we will progressively get warmer as the week goes on. We should be back to normal temps with rain this next weekend (it will be strange seeing our ground again).
Yesterday driving down SW 48th toward Beach Drive.
Looking at West Seattle from Alki point during the snow yesterday.
Driving along Alki yesterday.
Looking out our porch this morning.
Post shovelling this morning. I’ve been keeping our sidewalk clear – it is appreciated by the postal service.
Morning shot of the front of our house.
Uncle Mike showing Zach how to drink a Fosters!
What is the downside with all of this snow? No garbage pickup…Today will be the second time we will not have our garbage picked up meaning we’ll have 3 weeks worth by next Monday. The snow also makes it tough to get in the hot tub.
Last night, Mike and I cruised around the neighborhood with our Irish Coffee (me) and Rum and Egg Nog (Mike) enjoying cigars…What a great way to enjoy winter. Then we got cold and sought out shelter in a bus stop until we could finish our cigars – what a couple of bums.
It’s a Blizzard!
Saturday, December 20th, 2008Wow…I think we officially have a blizzard…winds are whipping and snow is falling very quickly. Footsteps in the snow are covered up 5 minutes later and drifts are forming. The roads are getting tougher to navigate as the snow thickens up. Photos and video to come later.
Update 11:40pm: We are up to 7 inches for this storm, giving us over a foot on the ground. Temps still in the mid 20s. Drifts are starting to form in certain areas. It is supposed to warm up to freezing or little higher tomorrow so this stuff will pack down pretty quick (since it is so dry).
Photo at SW 35th and SW Webster at around 10:30pm.
The front of our house during the storm.
Here is a video from earlier tonight taken from our doorstep.
Update 12:40am: Went out on a recon at 12:20am…snow has backed off quite a bit and the wind is not as strong. Drifts are building up – 2 to 3 feet in places. SW 35th at SW Webster looks decent (looks recently plowed)…covered in packed snow but tires will probably reach some pavement.
New snow staying at 7 inches for now. Here are additional photos.
Front of house.
Some of the drifts I was talking about.
Awesome Weather Blog
Saturday, December 20th, 2008My favorite newest blog is maintained by Cliff Mass at http://cliffmass.blogspot.com/. He’s written a book on Northwest weather and provides excellent insight into the recent storms and cold weather.
Cold Weather
Saturday, December 20th, 2008We have our coldest weather this morning since moving up…our place has gotten down to 18 degrees. SeaTac is recording a low 15 (14 is their record on this date). It’s crystal clear out…except over the Puget Sound where the cold air hitting the warm water has created a band of clouds.
This is the calm before the storm. 4 to 8 inches of snow are expected tonight. Jan and Mike are driving up from Eugene right now…not sure they know it but they will hit falling snow in Portland where the storm is already hitting.
Photos from Today
Friday, December 19th, 2008Here are some shots from today.
Looking west.
Looking north.
Tonight, while walking around the neighborhood, I got passed by two snowmobiles…pretty interesting to see those cruising around at night.
Post Storm…Pre Storm…
Friday, December 19th, 20089:20pm Update: 20 degrees and we just hot tubbed! I’m feeling relaxed now.
8:00pm Update: It’s already 21 degrees…so this should be our coldest night as our low has not gone below 21 on previous days.
So in the followup to our 6.5 inches of snow…Today was cold, slippery and partly cloudy. Steph took the van (has AWD) to work with no problems. I hopped in the car at 7:30 with the boys in order to drive them to daycare. It only took me 50 (yes, fifty) minutes to get out of our icy driveway with a 2WD car. Yikes, what a nightmare. I almost took out our garage door and crashed into our retaining wall.
After wearing down the Acura’s tires, I decided to take the car into Courtesy Tire for new tires, oil change, and new brakes…it was due. BTW, tires for an Acura TSX are pretty expensive due to the size.
Following is a picture on West Seattle Blog of the tractor our neighbor uses to clear everyone’s sidewalks…here he is cleaning the parking lot at Thriftway (our local grocery store).
My other neighbor was cleaning his sidewalks with his sit on top lawn mower…seriously, he was mowing the snow. It cut the snow down to about an inch but couldn’t clear it completely.
While I was at True Value Hardware in the junction, I happen to get the last 5lb bag of rock salt…I will use this sparingly.
Upcoming tomorrow night is a huge storm…the eastside won’t get much snow but they are expecting sustained 50 to 60 mph winds with gusts to 90mph. Our area is expecting wind gusts to 30mph with 4 to 8 inches of snow. What fun!
Slippery Roads
Thursday, December 18th, 2008Video from KIRO-TV of cars and buses sliding all over West Seattle.