http://www.StatesmanJournal.com
El Nino helping Green River Valley
avoid floods
By GEORGE TIBBITS
Associated Press Writer
January 26, 2010
SEATTLE — With winter half gone, some weather experts say the Green River Valley south of
Seattle may have avoided catastrophic flooding, at least this season.
The El Nino weather pattern affecting the Pacific Coast has helped bring a warm January to
the Pacific Northwest, along with drenching rains and snow to California. Here, it’s a huge
contrast to a year ago when record rains fell in the Green River watershed in the Cascade
foothills southeast of Seattle. That weakened a reservoir wall at the Howard Hanson flood
control dam, imperiling the heavily developed valley downstream.
Cliff Mass, professor of atmospheric science at the University of Washington, said the current
mild weather could lead to Seattle’s warmest January on record. And in this region, he said,
“Once you get past the 20th of February, one month from now, I mean, winter’s over.”
For those living and working below the dam, “I think they’re home free at this point,” he said.
So has the worst passed?
“You can’t say that,” said J. Brent Bower, hydrologic program manager for the National
Weather Service in Seattle.
Bower points out that Washington suffered one of its most devastating floods in February
1996, which caused more than $300 million in damage throughout the state. The Green River
Valley escaped serious harm, but the 1996 combination of heavy rain and melting mountain
snow is precisely what worries emergency officials now.
El Nino is a periodic ocean warming along the equatorial Pacific that affects the climate.
Western Washington, meteorologists say, is having a typical El Nino season: normal winter
weather until around Jan. 1, then mostly milder, warmer and wetter conditions than usual.
Bower and Mass both say there’s no major storm in sight for the Seattle area for the next week
or so.
Meteorologist Larry Schick at the Army Corps of Engineers’ Seattle District says that while the
bulk of the flood season appears over, there’s no guarantee.
“We’re not quite there yet,” he said. “We’re close, though.”
Bower likewise says he’s getting more optimistic as the days go by, but that’s still tempered
with a large dose of caution.
“I think it would be a mistake to say the worst is over,” he said, “because this is the weather
business and that’s not a prudent tack to take.”
The series of rainstorms that have soaked Southern California resulted from a weather pattern
that pushed the storm track south, Bower said. Without that pattern, “instead of hitting down
there, it could have come up here.”
After the rains weakened the Hanson Dam’s right abutment a year ago, the Army corps, which
operates the dam, quickly drained the reservoir and drastically restricted the amount of water it
could hold. Over the summer, the corps hurriedly made temporary repairs, but by fall, corps
officials warned there was still a 1-in-25 chance that heavy rains might force them to release
enough water to cause flooding in the valley.
Downstream, millions of dollars have been spent to sandbag the meandering river’s channel
and to urge residents to protect their property and possibly evacuate. Besides the suburbs of
Auburn, Kent, Renton and Tukwila, the valley has one of the largest warehouse areas on the
West Coast and is home to a major Boeing factory and Starbucks’ regional coffee roasting
plant.
King County is still passing out free sand and sacks to valley residents and businesses, and
valley cities are patrolling levees and the sandbags atop them to make sure they remain
sound. Officials say they aren’t slacking off just because the weather’s been good.
“Oh my goodness, no,” said Christine Lange, spokeswoman for County Executive Dow
Constantine. “We’re in full force, just making sure people are aware of the risk.”
As it does every winter, the corps has kept the dam’s reservoir essentially empty so it can
absorb heavy flows from the watershed, Schick said.
While Seattle had a lot of rain earlier this month, Schick said precipitation at the dam has been
close to normal. Rainfall that’s spread over a week or more isn’t really a problem, he said: “It’s
the short, intense storms like last year that dump a lot of rain in just a few hours.”
Meteorologists said the downpour in early 2009 was exactly that: a powerful, moisture-laden
“Pineapple Express” storm track from the mid-Pacific that directly hit the Green’s watershed.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Monday, January 25, 2010
Maximum height of extreme waves up dramatically in Pacific Northwest | ScienceBlog.com
CORVALLIS, Ore. -- A major increase in maximum ocean wave heights off the Pacific Northwest in recent decades has forced scientists to re-evaluate how high a "100-year event" might be, and the new findings raise special concerns for flooding, coastal erosion and structural damage. See rest of article at:
Maximum height of extreme waves up dramatically in Pacific Northwest ScienceBlog.com
Maximum height of extreme waves up dramatically in Pacific Northwest ScienceBlog.com
Friday, January 22, 2010
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Wednesday brought a fourth straight day of wintry wind, white and wet to the north state.
Nathan Morgan/Record Searchlight
http://www.redding.com/news/2010/jan/21/storm-strands-motorists-truckers-in-redding/#
Today promises more showers. But the far northern Sacramento Valley and surrounding mountains should get a chance to pick up tree limbs and shovel out of snow banks through the weekend before more storms strike early next week, according to the National Weather Service.
Snow closed Interstate 5 north of Redding from midmorning Wednesday through late midafternoon, forcing travelers off their routes. Passenger vehicles with chains were allowed through about 4:30 p.m.
Later in the evening, California Department of Transportation crews began escorting big rigs 50 at a time up northbound I-5. At 9 p.m., truck drivers were backed up to Oasis Road and facing three-hour delays. About an hour later, Caltrans abandoned the plan and started diverting trucks southbound at Mountain Gate while cars and pickups carrying chains were allowed through.
A trip that normally takes Raff about 8 1/2 hours had stretched toward 72 hours by Wednesday evening as snow closed I-5 for a second straight day.
"My son said to me, 'Mom, maybe you should just turn back. I know you love me, but is it worth it?' " Raff said. "But moms do what they have to do."
Raff said she will try one more time to get to Eugene today.
Wednesday's storm dumped up to 2 feet of heavy, wet snow on Mount Shasta, where officials declared a local emergency. Falling tree limbs snapped power lines all over town, cutting off electricity to 5,700 customers, including the Mt. Shasta Ski Park, which was closed all day.
Some Mount Shasta streets will go unplowed until downed tree limbs and power lines are cleared, police said.
As of 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Pacific Gas and Electric Co. had restored power to all but 18 of its Shasta County customers, a PG&E spokesman said. About 3,500 Shasta County residents had been without power from midmorning into late afternoon Wednesday, PG&E spokesman Paul Moreno said.
One outage darkened nearly 2,000 homes and businesses from northeast Redding out through Bella Vista and Ingot, Moreno said. Another took out roughly 1,500 customers east of Shingletown.
A tree brought down by Wednesday's storm cut power to 130 customers along Butte Street from 10:30 to 11:25 a.m., said Paul Hauser, Redding Electric Utility director.
Wind gusts hit 47 mph at Redding Municipal Airport some time between 9 and 10 a.m. Wednesday. While robust, those winds weren't nearly as strong as they were Tuesday, when the Redding airport recorded a 61-mph gust.
But Wednesday was wetter than Tuesday, at least in the Redding area, where 1 to 3 inches of rain fell during a thick downpour lasting several hours.
Rainfall totals from midnight through 5 p.m. Wednesday include 2.96 inches in the Summit City area of Shasta Lake, 2 inches in west Redding, 1.32 inches in Enterprise, 1.14 inches at the Redding airport and 0.36 inches in Shingletown.
Some north state spots have sopped up impressive precipitation totals since the series of storms started Sunday. Gibson, an outpost in the Sacramento River Canyon north of Lakehead, has recorded just over 15 inches.
Other four-day precipitation totals are 9.68 inches at Shasta Dam, 8.04 inches in Summit City, 5.36 inches in west Redding and 2.69 inches at the Redding airport.
The recent rains have helped boost Lake Shasta since Jan. 1, according to U.S. Bureau of Reclamation data.
Precipitation totals at the airport are running slightly ahead of normal for January so far. But rainfall this season to date at the airport remains only 72 percent of normal, according to National Weather Service figures.
A major adjustment in the hemispheric circulation brought the recent spate of chilly, windy storms to California.
An immense dome of polar air that had sat over Hudson Bay and brought bitter cold to the eastern United States shifted west late last week. Some of this Arctic air spilled over the Aleutian Islands, creating a deep trough over the northeastern Pacific that contributed to Tuesday's and Wednesday's low snow levels.
The cold air pushing south from the Gulf of Alaska interacted with moist air in the subtropics, spawning jet stream winds up to 240 mph.
The stormy pattern will shift south today, leaving the north state with lighter winds and spotty showers, according to forecast models. Shower chances will further shrink Friday and disappear Saturday as a surge of warmer, drier air displaces the cold, turbulent trough.
Another trough could cross Northern California early next week. But that storm does not look particularly potent.
Reporter Scott Mobley can be reached at 225-8220 or at smobley@redding.com.
Reporter Dylan Darling contributed to this report.
http://www.redding.com/news/2010/jan/21/storm-strands-motorists-truckers-in-redding/#
Today promises more showers. But the far northern Sacramento Valley and surrounding mountains should get a chance to pick up tree limbs and shovel out of snow banks through the weekend before more storms strike early next week, according to the National Weather Service.
Snow closed Interstate 5 north of Redding from midmorning Wednesday through late midafternoon, forcing travelers off their routes. Passenger vehicles with chains were allowed through about 4:30 p.m.
Later in the evening, California Department of Transportation crews began escorting big rigs 50 at a time up northbound I-5. At 9 p.m., truck drivers were backed up to Oasis Road and facing three-hour delays. About an hour later, Caltrans abandoned the plan and started diverting trucks southbound at Mountain Gate while cars and pickups carrying chains were allowed through.
A trip that normally takes Raff about 8 1/2 hours had stretched toward 72 hours by Wednesday evening as snow closed I-5 for a second straight day.
"My son said to me, 'Mom, maybe you should just turn back. I know you love me, but is it worth it?' " Raff said. "But moms do what they have to do."
Raff said she will try one more time to get to Eugene today.
Wednesday's storm dumped up to 2 feet of heavy, wet snow on Mount Shasta, where officials declared a local emergency. Falling tree limbs snapped power lines all over town, cutting off electricity to 5,700 customers, including the Mt. Shasta Ski Park, which was closed all day.
Some Mount Shasta streets will go unplowed until downed tree limbs and power lines are cleared, police said.
As of 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Pacific Gas and Electric Co. had restored power to all but 18 of its Shasta County customers, a PG&E spokesman said. About 3,500 Shasta County residents had been without power from midmorning into late afternoon Wednesday, PG&E spokesman Paul Moreno said.
One outage darkened nearly 2,000 homes and businesses from northeast Redding out through Bella Vista and Ingot, Moreno said. Another took out roughly 1,500 customers east of Shingletown.
A tree brought down by Wednesday's storm cut power to 130 customers along Butte Street from 10:30 to 11:25 a.m., said Paul Hauser, Redding Electric Utility director.
Wind gusts hit 47 mph at Redding Municipal Airport some time between 9 and 10 a.m. Wednesday. While robust, those winds weren't nearly as strong as they were Tuesday, when the Redding airport recorded a 61-mph gust.
But Wednesday was wetter than Tuesday, at least in the Redding area, where 1 to 3 inches of rain fell during a thick downpour lasting several hours.
Rainfall totals from midnight through 5 p.m. Wednesday include 2.96 inches in the Summit City area of Shasta Lake, 2 inches in west Redding, 1.32 inches in Enterprise, 1.14 inches at the Redding airport and 0.36 inches in Shingletown.
Some north state spots have sopped up impressive precipitation totals since the series of storms started Sunday. Gibson, an outpost in the Sacramento River Canyon north of Lakehead, has recorded just over 15 inches.
Other four-day precipitation totals are 9.68 inches at Shasta Dam, 8.04 inches in Summit City, 5.36 inches in west Redding and 2.69 inches at the Redding airport.
The recent rains have helped boost Lake Shasta since Jan. 1, according to U.S. Bureau of Reclamation data.
Precipitation totals at the airport are running slightly ahead of normal for January so far. But rainfall this season to date at the airport remains only 72 percent of normal, according to National Weather Service figures.
A major adjustment in the hemispheric circulation brought the recent spate of chilly, windy storms to California.
An immense dome of polar air that had sat over Hudson Bay and brought bitter cold to the eastern United States shifted west late last week. Some of this Arctic air spilled over the Aleutian Islands, creating a deep trough over the northeastern Pacific that contributed to Tuesday's and Wednesday's low snow levels.
The cold air pushing south from the Gulf of Alaska interacted with moist air in the subtropics, spawning jet stream winds up to 240 mph.
The stormy pattern will shift south today, leaving the north state with lighter winds and spotty showers, according to forecast models. Shower chances will further shrink Friday and disappear Saturday as a surge of warmer, drier air displaces the cold, turbulent trough.
Another trough could cross Northern California early next week. But that storm does not look particularly potent.
Reporter Scott Mobley can be reached at 225-8220 or at smobley@redding.com.
Reporter Dylan Darling contributed to this report.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Don't wait until the power goes out again - the Curry Pilot
http://www.currypilot.com/20100120114569/Opinion/Editorials/Dont-wait-until-the-power-goes-out-again
January 20, 2010 01:09 pm
Imagine a time when there was no such thing as Internet, e-mail, ATM and credit cards, cell phones or 911 service. Now think back further to a time when they was no electricity – no TV, refrigerators, electric heaters or water pumps.
How did people survive without such amenities?
Many Curry County residents found out Sunday as power went out from Port Orford to the California border for eight to 12 hours.
All it took was high winds – which are forecast to continue through Friday.
While Brookings-Harbor and the surrounding area escaped the brunt of the storm physically, individuals and businesses throughout the region found themselves unable to connect to the Internet, use e-mail, cell phones and fax machines. Shoppers had to use cash and write checks because ATM and credit card machines were inoperable.
Here at the Curry Coastal Pilot we couldn’t e-mail news alerts or post important information on our Web site for our readers. It was frustrating, to say the least.
We were also alarmed to hear that, during Sunday’s power outage, many motorists were not stopping at unlit intersections, placing other motorists in mortal danger. Oregon state law states that all interections where traffic lights are inoperable are to be treated as four-way stops.
This week’s series of storms is showing just how vulnerable we and our technology are to Mother Nature’s malevolence. It’s important that we have the means to survive, for days if necessary, without power, Internet, cell phones and our credit cards.
This means having enough food, water, first aid kits, candles, batteries, flashlights, blankets, gas in the car and cash. If you don’t have these things, get them now before the power goes out again.
This wasn’t the first major storm of winter. It won’t be the last.
January 20, 2010 01:09 pm
Imagine a time when there was no such thing as Internet, e-mail, ATM and credit cards, cell phones or 911 service. Now think back further to a time when they was no electricity – no TV, refrigerators, electric heaters or water pumps.
How did people survive without such amenities?
Many Curry County residents found out Sunday as power went out from Port Orford to the California border for eight to 12 hours.
All it took was high winds – which are forecast to continue through Friday.
While Brookings-Harbor and the surrounding area escaped the brunt of the storm physically, individuals and businesses throughout the region found themselves unable to connect to the Internet, use e-mail, cell phones and fax machines. Shoppers had to use cash and write checks because ATM and credit card machines were inoperable.
Here at the Curry Coastal Pilot we couldn’t e-mail news alerts or post important information on our Web site for our readers. It was frustrating, to say the least.
We were also alarmed to hear that, during Sunday’s power outage, many motorists were not stopping at unlit intersections, placing other motorists in mortal danger. Oregon state law states that all interections where traffic lights are inoperable are to be treated as four-way stops.
This week’s series of storms is showing just how vulnerable we and our technology are to Mother Nature’s malevolence. It’s important that we have the means to survive, for days if necessary, without power, Internet, cell phones and our credit cards.
This means having enough food, water, first aid kits, candles, batteries, flashlights, blankets, gas in the car and cash. If you don’t have these things, get them now before the power goes out again.
This wasn’t the first major storm of winter. It won’t be the last.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
From snowflakes to earthquakesOregon City News
I used to espouse preparing for the worst-case scenario, a Cascadia Magnitude 9 earthquake for the western side of Oregon and a devastating tsunami along ...
http://www.oregoncitynewsonline.com/opinion/story.php?story_id=126393044494027400
Article by Jay Wilson, former Geological Hazards Specialist for Oregon Emergency Managment
http://www.oregoncitynewsonline.com/opinion/story.php?story_id=126393044494027400
Article by Jay Wilson, former Geological Hazards Specialist for Oregon Emergency Managment
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