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Meteorological Winter is here and it's starting off with a cold east wind
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PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Are you ready for winter? If you're in the camp that is excited about it, you can start celebrating the arrival of the meteorological winter. If you're in the camp that is not excited for winter, we still have 19 more days of fall.
It may feel like winter to start out Wednesday, with a brisk east wind coming out of the Gorge and a wind chill that is likely going to suggest gloves and a warm hat. The afternoon will hold on to a breeze, but the sunshine should feel good when it eventually warms in the afternoon. Speaking of meteorological winter, you can find some of the stats for the next 90 days below. Meteorological winter does not pair up with the astronomical winter, but it is handy for keeping a 3-month stat catalog for agriculture and other uses. What does the winter look like for Portland? December tends to be our coldest month, with plenty of rain and even some snow.
Let's start with the rain because we've had a wide variety in the last 7 years. 2013 brought us scant amounts (1.62") and then 2015 brought us a new record (15.24"). On average we should be somewhere around 5.50" of rain, which is very similar to our final month of the meteorological fall, November. We have yet to reach our average over the last 4 years, so it may be that time. We are starting 2020 dry, but it only takes one good atmospheric river to set the ball in motion.
If you are one that is interested in the Climate Prediction Center's monthly outlook, you may find December to be fascinating. They have a majority of the United State at below normal precipitation and above normal temperatures. However, the Pacific Northwest (PNW) is sitting in the equal chance for all outcomes (above, normal, below). The first week of December is going to pan out as below-average precipitation with normal temperatures in Portland. The forecast doesn't look to change in the next few days.
Alright, something that interests just about everyone: snow. If you've been living here for some time, you know that snow isn't easy to come by. You may be surprised to see that our average snow for December is 1.5 inches. Looking back at the last 7 years, we've had more duds than snow events. However, 2016 did bring in a healthy dose of snow to play around in. Last year we came in with a trace of snow and 2018 was a blank year. Maybe this is our year?
With all of that, don't expect rain or snow this week. Sunshine and dry weather will dominate the forecast until the weekend.