A Review Of The Past Few Days....

I have some catching up to do.  Thought I would just share some of the posts I have done in this past week....  This will be in reverse order:

Last night (2/26) there was a beautiful sky over Northern Hood Canal.  Aerial photography gives a totally different perspective....

The previous few days were very active.  This was what Sunday looked like.  Rain coming and going and feeding the convergence zone to our south....

Thought I would share the image I just made as my desktop:

This is an aerial video taken just before the graupel storm on Sunday....  

On Sunday there was another disabled ship towed into Seattle.  That makes 2 in 2 weeks.  This one was an engine room explosion off the coast of Oregon.  Nobody was injured, but the ship was disabled.  It was right around sunrise when it came by...

Here is a little more information about this ship and the incident:

https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/USDHSCG/bulletins/1dd571c

On Friday 2/23 my night cam picked up some "light pillars".  This is a vertical rainbow effect caused by light from the ground reflecting through ice crystals....

Later Friday morning a very unusual ship came by.  It came from Shanghai and was transporting new port cranes to Tacoma.  

On Thursday 2/22 I caught this image of the tug Eagle off Double Bluff...

After The Storm Aerial Photography - 2/22/18

The wind died down just enough for some aerial photography.  Most of the snow is gone, but there are still a few dicey spots on the roads....  It is beautiful out there though....

Winter Just Keeps Hanging On....

Wow… The NWS discussion this morning is bearing some tough news for those ready for spring…. It looks like winter will be hanging on with a vengeance for a while. I’ll try to paraphrase the key points here… 1. There will be snow today (up to 3 inches) on the coast and in SW Washington. We should be spared the majority of the white stuff today… Maybe a dusting… (Although, looking at the Doppler right now there is a lot of blue coming in our direction…) 2. On Wednesday another (slightly stronger) system will be moving in from the North. Forecasts are anywhere from a dusting to 3 inches depending on location later in the day. 3. Thursday… Probably clear. 4. The long term forecast is interesting. Plus, it is a simple read…. Here is the text: .LONG TERM... The pattern looks quite active during this period due to a series of storms moving across the region from the northwest. The screaming message is that it will be chilly and wet. Expect a strong system to impact the area the end of this week for the possibility of significant lowland snow in some areas, especially within any convergence zones. Another, possibly potent, lowland snow-maker might impact the CWA early next week. For now, look below normal temps and above normal precip during this period.

Yesterday and Today... A Lot Happened....

Edit: 2/19/18 - 8:30PM

One more in reverse order....

Mother Nature is putting it out faster than I can keep up with it....  I just found this in my archives from last night....  Wow....  City lights reflecting on the snow on the ground and in the air....  

This post is now in reverse order....  So much happened today, I thought I would just add it to what was already there.....  Late this afternoon we had a nice example of an "Inferior Mirage" over on Bush Point, which is roughly 8 miles away.  It looks like an inverse reflection on the water, but.... Rough water doesn't reflect. Inferior mirages are complicated to explain, but it has to do with the temp difference between the air and the water.... And.... a prism like effect that is actually "bending" the light... or so it seems. I might do a blog on this topic some day....  

The wind died down enough (barely) for me to put my "aerial camera" into the sky.... I still have a lot to learn to dial this in, but the beauty of the Pacific NorthWet made it easy to capture a beautiful, but REALLY cold day...

Then....  For anybody that is interested in "re-living" yesterday....  I put together a panorama time lapse of the day....  

Published This Morning

This morning I looked at my site and the wind chill was 17.9 degrees.  I know it was colder than that earlier in the day....  The "wind chill" / "feels like" temperature is on my site....  See pic below....

One of the benefits of this cold clear weather are the sunsets.  Last night I captured this image:

The winds are supposed to ease by this evening, but it will probably be colder tonight than last night.  Pretty remarkable weather for February....

Snow Survey....

Edit 2/18/18 - 12:45PM

The NWS just reissued a "Winter Weather Advisory" until 3:00 this afternoon.... Here is the text:

...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 3 PM PST THIS

AFTERNOON...

* WHAT...Snow. Total snow accumulations of up to 2 inches are

expected.

* WHERE...The northern end of the Hood Canal area, including

Quilcene and the area near the Hood Canal Bridge.

* WHEN...Until 3 PM PST this afternoon.

* ADDITIONAL DETAILS...Plan on difficult travel conditions, and

be prepared for reduced visibilities at times. There is a

possibility that the weight of the snow could snap small tree

limbs.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A Winter Weather Advisory for snow means periods of snow will

cause primarily travel difficulties. Be prepared for snow covered

roads and limited visibilities, and use caution while driving.

The latest road conditions for the state you are calling from can

be obtained by calling 5 1 1.

______________________________________________________________________

There was a brief lull in the weather this morning and I had an opportunity get the drone up to see how much snow fell in the area.  We had nothing at sea level and you can see it starts covering the roofs up around 200'.  The drone is flying at 390'.  Watch for the eagle at the top of the tree on the left as the drone goes up.  This video was taken around 10:30 this morning.

Shortly after making this video, the North wind kicked up and then it started to snow hard.  Our lawn is and roof is now white....

Multiple Advisories....

Right now we have 3 active weather advisories....

The Wind Advisory will be cancelled soon, only to "possibly" be replaced with another for North winds.  The wind switched to the north a little before noon today.  It produced a pretty nasty looking convergence zone that came down Admiralty Inlet.  We got a good dose of lumpy rain....

The second advisory is a "Winter Weather Advisory"....  It doesn't look like we will get more than a dusting, if anything at all....  Now that I have said that, we'll probably get a foot.... :)

Here is the text:

For Hood Canal Area, Washington
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FROM 10PM PST SAT UNTIL 9AM PST SUN ...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 10 PM THIS EVENING TO 9 AM PST SUNDAY... * WHAT...SNOW EXPECTED. PLAN ON SLIPPERY ROAD CONDITIONS. TOTAL SNOW ACCUMULATIONS OF UP TO TWO INCHES ARE EXPECTED. * WHERE...ANACORTES, MOUNT VERNON, EVERETT, BELLEVUE, PUYALLUP, CHEHALIS, QUILCENE, MATLOCK, HUMPTULIPS, AND FORKS. * WHEN...FROM 10 PM THIS EVENING TO 9 AM PST SUNDAY. * ADDITIONAL DETAILS...BE PREPARED FOR REDUCED VISIBILITIES AT TIMES. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SNOW MEANS PERIODS OF SNOW WILL CAUSE PRIMARILY TRAVEL DIFFICULTIES. BE PREPARED FOR SNOW COVERED ROADS AND LIMITED VISIBILITIES, AND USE CAUTION WHILE DRIVING. THE LATEST ROAD CONDITIONS FOR THE STATE YOU ARE CALLING FROM CAN BE OBTAINED BY CALLING 5 1 1.

The third advisory, a "Coastal Flood Advisory" could be serious.  Tomorrow morning around 6:30 am we have a predicted high tide of 11.06 feet.  This is when the wind could be peaking.  No bank waterfront owners may have their hands full tomorrow.  Here is the text of this advisory:   

...COASTAL FLOOD ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 4 AM TO 8 AM PST 

SUNDAY... 
The National Weather Service in Seattle has issued a Coastal 
Flood Advisory, which is in effect from 4 AM to 8 AM PST Sunday. 
Minor flooding along the beaches is possible early Sunday 
morning--mostly because of the action of wind waves around the 
time of high tide which is around daybreak on Sunday. 
High tide will be about one foot below the typical highest tide 
but windy weather and waves could cause some minor flooding along 
the beaches because of the waves. 
A north wind of 20 to 30 mph and wind waves 3 to 5 feet is 
expected over Puget Sound Sunday. The north wind should develop  

late tonight to around daybreak Sunday. 

Now…. We have some interesting (VERY COLD) weather coming…. Wind Advisory and Small Craft Warnings are now posted....

Edit: 2/17/18
A "Winter Weather Advisory has now been posted by the NWS.  
Here is text:

Issued by the National Weather Service

For Hood Canal Area, Washington

WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FROM 10PM PST SAT UNTIL 9AM PST SUN ...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 10 PM THIS EVENING TO 9 AM PST SUNDAY... * WHAT...SNOW EXPECTED. PLAN ON SLIPPERY ROAD CONDITIONS. TOTAL SNOW ACCUMULATIONS OF UP TO TWO INCHES ARE EXPECTED. * WHERE...ANACORTES, MOUNT VERNON, EVERETT, BELLEVUE, PUYALLUP, CHEHALIS, QUILCENE, MATLOCK, HUMPTULIPS, AND FORKS. * WHEN...FROM 10 PM THIS EVENING TO 9 AM PST SUNDAY. * ADDITIONAL DETAILS...BE PREPARED FOR REDUCED VISIBILITIES AT TIMES. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SNOW MEANS PERIODS OF SNOW WILL CAUSE PRIMARILY TRAVEL DIFFICULTIES. BE PREPARED FOR SNOW COVERED ROADS AND LIMITED VISIBILITIES, AND USE CAUTION WHILE DRIVING. THE LATEST ROAD CONDITIONS FOR THE STATE YOU ARE CALLING FROM CAN BE OBTAINED BY CALLING 5 1 1.

Edit: 2/16/18 
The Olympic rain shadow protected us from rain last night and it may protect us from the possible lowland snow event.  However, it may not protect us from the wind and rain tonight....  A Wind Advisory and a Small Craft Advisory have just been posted.... This recent Tweet from Scott Sistek....

_________________________________________________________________________________


After reading a variety of forecasts, I decided to distill it down to 5 simple bullet points.  This is a very broad brush look, but it gives us a general idea of what is forecast for our future…. 

1. Rain will return tonight and into Friday along with possible wind advisories.
2. A brief lull and then heavy rain and stronger wind Friday night into Saturday.  Again, possible wind advisories.
3. Heavy snow in the mountains over the next few days.
4. Cold, wet weather moves in late Saturday into Sunday…  Possible lowland snow…. Followed by an Arctic outflow…. REALLY cold weather and north winds.  This will last through at least Wednesday.  We could see some record low temps over this period.
5. Possibility of some lowland snow on Wednesday. 

This will get your attention….  A quote from Cliff Mass’s blog:

“WOW.   East of the Cascades many locations will get below 0F, some locations will be way below.  Twenties near the water and teens elsewhere in western WA”.

Here is the link to his blog:

http://cliffmass.blogspot.com/2018/02/la-nina-snows-over-pacific-northwest.html

From Cliff's blog, the images below show the WRF-GFS model forecasts for temperature and wind on Monday and Tuesday early morning...

Monday Morning:

Tuesday Morning: 

A Drone For Dinner?

During a landing this afternoon, an eagle was wondering if my drone would be a suitable meal for the night. They have been curious. That would be one lousy, but expensive meal.... :)

Best full screen or
HD Link: http://www.skunkbayweather.com/Eagle021218.mp4

Cold and Starry Night

Finally a beautiful clear night last night.  Very cold...  We got down to 32...  I had a chance to run my good night cam...  No Auroras or fireballs...  a few small meteors....  But it was so nice to see the stars again....

Another Drone Flight and Mt. Baker Has Been Found... After Weeks of Her Being Missing....

Mt. Baker came back in all her glory the last couple of days.  It's always a great feeling when she comes out after weeks of 50 shades of dark gray on gray.... 

This image was taken yesterday (2/10/18)

And then, this morning she managed to sneak out under the clouds.... 

Yesterday it appeared we were going to cloud over.  It was a beautiful day and I put the drone up when the cirrus were starting to take over the blue sky....

An Awesome Day Of Cloud Beauty

February 9, 2018

Today the clouds were gorgeous during the early afternoon.  It was SO nice to NOT see 50 shades of gray on gray…..  

With the recent additions to my site I can share 3 different perspectives from today…. 

The new drone camera shows everything from a whole new perspective.  First, this is a still shot looking back down Hood Canal.  The skies were just starting to get cooking at this point….

This video is taken from about 390 feet up and is a full 360 degree view.  This is all new to me and I am still just learning how to leverage this technology…..

I “snipped” this image from my live cam this afternoon…  It is constantly streaming live images.  The sky was incredible….

And…  Maybe some of the best is last....Here is a time lapse from Cam 2 and Cam 3 of the beautiful dancing cumulus…. 

It was an incredible day to capture some Pacific NorthWet cloud “eye candy”…. 😊

New Camera For Skunk Bay Weather

This past year I have been watching “responsible” drone photography and have been very impressed.  It really does open a whole new visual perspective to our environment.  I decided to give it a try.  

Yesterday the weather wasn’t perfect, but I grabbed some video that shows the potential for this new camera.  The technology in this device is amazing.  I still have a LOT to learn.

FAA rules require that drones stay under 400 feet.  This video tops out at 375 feet.  With this new potential, I am looking forward to some incredible sunrises and sunsets with a lot more detail than I have been able to provide up to now.

More Boring Weather and Then..... Lots of Rain coming this weekend.... Yawn....

Edit 2/3/18 8:30 AM:  

Edit 2/2/18 12:30 PM:  Look what just happened a while ago....

Today is Groundhog's Day....  They say 6 more weeks of winter....  Oh Boy.....  This whole weather pattern reminds me of Bill Murray's movie....  It's like Deja Vue all over again every morning....  Case in point....  Here is a time lapse of yesterday:

But wait....  There's more.....  Cliff talks about a pretty significant rain event coming in Saturday night through Sunday...  We could be looking at some landslides and flooding before the weekend is over....  As I type, we have 5.85" of rain this year....  This is the most we have had year to day on Feb. 2 since I install my system 12 years ago....  And we are in the "Rain Shadow".....  It could be worse...  So, here is the link to "Good News Cliff's Blog"....  :)

http://cliffmass.blogspot.com/2018/02/an-unusual-heavy-rain-event-on-sunday.html

On another note, this past week my main computer started into a death spiral.  For the first day, I was unable to find the problem.  I had several leads, but the problem continued.  So, I moved any website processes off of this computer so Skunk Bay Weather could run.  I am now using 7 computers to run the site, so fortunately I could reallocate resources.  For two more days I beat my head against the wall trying to find the problem.  I spent a fair amount of time shopping for a new replacement computer.  It was behaving like a Mother board problem.  Finally, yesterday morning....  moments before I was ready to pull the trigger on a new PC I found the problem.  It turns out that one of the "services" on my backup software was corrupted and would not load...  but it kept trying.  The symptoms were so varied, it was like finding a needle in a hay stack and I got lucky...  Today my computer is running better than ever....  Glad to be back on-line....

Have a nice weekend.....