Winter storm's left hook slams Oregon.Byline: Susan Palmer The Register-Guard We can thank the Pacific Ocean and some arctic air for this week's tree-snapping, car-spinning, mailbox-hiding winter weather. Usually, the Pacific acts like a big wet blanket wet blanket n. Informal One that discourages enjoyment or enthusiasm. wet blanket Noun Informal a person whose low spirits or lack of enthusiasm have a depressing effect on others for those who dream of snow-covered holidays. That's because the dominant wind direction in this part of the world - west to east - pushes the warm, wet air in off the ocean over the Coast Range and across the Willamette Valley The Willamette Valley (pronounced [wɪˈlæ.mɪt], with the accent on the second syllable) is the region in northwest Oregon in the United States that surrounds the Willamette River as it proceeds northward from its , making for cloudy, rainy days Rainy Days itself isn't an official XYZ release, it's a collection of demo tapes from 1985 which has been released by guitarist Bobby Pieper, who recorded the said demos with the band. . Every now and then, a cold front swoops down from the north, shouldering aside the warmth, but lacking enough moisture to bring snow, said state climatologist cli·ma·tol·o·gy n. The meteorological study of climates and their phenomena. cli  ma·to·log George Taylor George Taylor may refer to:
"When it's cold enough to snow, it's too dry. When it's wet enough, it's too warm," he said. But if frigid arctic air loops out over the Pacific on its way south and picks up a little moisture, then we get a real winter storm, Taylor said. And that has been happening to Oregon on and off this week as the Willamette Valley has gotten slammed with its first significant snow since 1996. Residents had barely dug out from a storm Monday, when the second one hit Thursday, dumping between 4 inches and 6 inches of snow so heavy and wet it took down whole trees and snapped countless branches all over Lane County. Forecasters promise still more before the weekend is through. "It starts to feel like we've all been transported to Buffalo, N.Y.," said National Weather Service hydrologist hy·drol·o·gy n. The scientific study of the properties, distribution, and effects of water on the earth's surface, in the soil and underlying rocks, and in the atmosphere. Andy Bryant. "We're expecting arctic air to work its way down into our area. It won't be frigid, but it will cool us off to where we'll probably have snow to the valley floor," he said. Today we could see 1 inch to 3 inches in Eugene-Springfield's lower elevations with more snow intermittently Sunday and Monday before snow levels rise to around 3,000 feet on Tuesday, he said. While the white New Year caught many off guard, meteorologists Atmospheric scientists
Pacific Ocean water temperatures are near normal now, unlike warmer El Nino years that bring warmer drier winters to Oregon, or cooler La Nina La Niña n. A cooling of the ocean surface off the western coast of South America, occurring periodically every 4 to 12 years and affecting Pacific and other weather patterns. years that deliver cooler, wetter weather. But near normal doesn't mean average. "Historically, the biggest snow years are the neutral years," Taylor said. When this snow runs its course, it won't mean the end of the extremes. Forecasters expect heavy rains Tuesday that could lead to flooding. |
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