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Re: Current weather?

Posted: Tue Jun 02, 2020 8:06 am
by PeteE
Hey Doug! Glad you and your house are ok.
I haven't seen wind like this storm since moving here in 2002.

Yeah it's a mess in many neighborhoods around the valley. Surprisingly, Some areas around Kalispell(Evergreen) never lost power.
My power was out for about 10 hours. No biggie for me since I have battery-powered lanterns for light and cooked dinner and made coffee on my backpacking stove. :mrgreen:
"Big Boss" who lives off Whitefish Stage Rd. near MT40 got hammered. 18 large trees down all around his house. One big doug fir smashed his deck and hot tub and barely missed the roof over his living room. He has a 30KW propane generator but can't go near it because of his pacemaker. So I went out and did some additional hookups for him early yesterday morning. He chased a black bear off the lawn just before I arrived! :)
Gonna be a lot of firewood generated from this storm.

pete :wink:

Re: Current weather?

Posted: Sat Jun 06, 2020 9:24 am
by Sue Z
Got caught in a massive surprise storm on the golf course on Wednesday in PA. Absolutely nowhere to hide. Broken branches flying all around my buddy and me. Cart absolutely swamped with horizontal rain. We survived, but looked like drowned rats. 83 mph winds, I heard later. Warning system was non-functional.

"If you are caught on a golf course during a storm and are afraid of lightning, hold up a 1-iron. Not even God can hit a 1-iron." - Lee Trevino

Re: Current weather?

Posted: Sun Jun 14, 2020 9:34 am
by PeteE
Sue Z wrote:Got caught in a massive surprise storm on the golf course on Wednesday in PA. Absolutely nowhere to hide. Broken branches flying all around my buddy and me. Cart absolutely swamped with horizontal rain. We survived, but looked like drowned rats. 83 mph winds, I heard later. Warning system was non-functional.

"If you are caught on a golf course during a storm and are afraid of lightning, hold up a 1-iron. Not even God can hit a 1-iron." - Lee Trevino
I grew up playing golf and was pretty good when I was young--1 handicap when on my HS golf team.
One day when I was a senior in HS we were playing in two foursomes when it began raining, thunder and lightning on the 13th hole.
No biggie since T-storms are common in central Florida. Plus we had LOTs of bets going. Nobody wanted to quit.
All was fine until we were putting out on the 18th green and lightning struck an oak tree beside the green--maybe 20-25 yards from us.
All eight of us went down like tenpins. To me, it felt like someone touched me behind the knees with a cattle prod.
People in the clubhouse rushed out thinking the worst. Turned out we were all ok.
I'll never forget getting up and looking at that tree split open and burning in the pouring rain. There were little "craters" in the turf all around the tree where the lightning hit the ground.

My parents told me if they ever heard of me playing in a T-storm again I wouldn't have to worry about lightning killing me 8)
For one of the guys, this incident was the second time being nearly killed by lightning. A couple years before, he and three others(including the golf coach at that time) were in a rain shelter when it was struck.

pete :wink:

PS

I had a set of Wilson Staff "Tour Blades" back in the day. I loved my 1iron, and I could hit it pretty good--especially shot into the wind. 8)
Never did hole out a shot with it. I had holed out all my other irons(2-9 and both PW and SW) before graduating from HS :)

Re: Current weather?

Posted: Sun Jun 14, 2020 2:36 pm
by Sue Z
PeteE wrote:All was fine until we were putting out on the 18th green and lightning struck an oak tree beside the green--maybe 20-25 yards from us.
All eight of us went down like tenpins. To me, it felt like someone touched me behind the knees with a cattle prod.
People in the clubhouse rushed out thinking the worst. Turned out we were all ok.
I'll never forget getting up and looking at that tree split open and burning in the pouring rain. There were little "craters" in the turf all around the tree where the lightning hit the ground.

My parents told me if they ever heard of me playing in a T-storm again I wouldn't have to worry about lightning killing me 8)
For one of the guys, this incident was the second time being nearly killed by lightning. A couple years before, he and three others(including the golf coach at that time) were in a rain shelter when it was struck.

pete :wink:
That's really frightening!

We had two choices when the storm slammed into us: Wait it out in a small grove of trees near the top of a hill (bad), or head for the relative safety of the clubhouse (badder). We chose the very dangerous 5-minute drive to the clubhouse, careening around falling tree limbs on the slippery cart path. At least the clubhouse was safe and dry. I kept wishing I had been out hiking, where at least I know to just find the low ground and squat on my foam sitting pad.

On the bright side, I absolutely suck at golf, so quitting early was no great loss.

Re: Current weather?

Posted: Wed Jul 29, 2020 5:56 am
by PeteE
The weather here is starting to really suck here in Flathead Valley.
Getting hazy from the heat. I'm not aware of any fires nearby but the environment is very dry.

https://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.p ... yFhPudMGUl

pete


Heat Advisory

URGENT - WEATHER MESSAGE
National Weather Service Missoula MT
251 PM MDT Tue Jul 28 2020

IDZ005>008-MTZ001>005-292100-
/O.NEW.KMSO.HT.Y.0001.200730T1800Z-200801T0200Z/
Northern Clearwater Mountains-Southern Clearwater Mountains-
Orofino/Grangeville Region-Lower Hells Canyon/Salmon River Region-
Kootenai/Cabinet Region-West Glacier Region-
Flathead/Mission Valleys-Lower Clark Fork Region-
Missoula/Bitterroot Valleys-
251 PM MDT Tue Jul 28 2020 /151 PM PDT Tue Jul 28 2020/

...HEAT ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM NOON MDT /11 AM PDT/ THURSDAY TO
8 PM MDT /7 PM PDT/ FRIDAY...

* WHAT...High temperatures for western Montana, mid 90s to low
100s, central Idaho, upper 90s to 110 degrees.

* WHERE...In Montana, Kootenai/Cabinet Region, West Glacier
Region, Flathead/Mission Valleys, Lower Clark Fork Region and
Missoula/Bitterroot Valleys. In Idaho, Northern Clearwater
Mountains, Southern Clearwater Mountains, Orofino/Grangeville
Region and Lower Hells Canyon/Salmon River Region.

* WHEN...From noon MDT /11 AM PDT/ Thursday to 8 PM MDT /7 PM
PDT/ Friday.

* IMPACTS...Hot temperatures may cause heat illnesses to occur.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

Drink plenty of fluids, stay in an air-conditioned room, stay out
of the sun, and check up on relatives and neighbors. Young
children and pets should never be left unattended in vehicles
under any circumstances.

Take extra precautions if you work or spend time outside. When
possible reschedule strenuous activities to early morning or
evening. Know the signs and symptoms of heat exhaustion and heat
stroke. Wear lightweight and loose fitting clothing when
possible. To reduce risk during outdoor work, the Occupational
Safety and Health Administration recommends scheduling frequent
rest breaks in shaded or air conditioned environments. Anyone
overcome by heat should be moved to a cool and shaded location.
Heat stroke is an emergency! Call 9 1 1.

&&

$$


Re: Current weather?

Posted: Fri Aug 28, 2020 4:30 pm
by PeteE
Here's a new weather app GNP Ranger Sarah told she uses.
This link is for Mt. Oberlin which I use as a proxy for the Logan Pass area.
https://www.mountain-forecast.com/peaks ... casts/2493
Have a look at it.
Sarah says it's better(in her opinion) than the NOAA extrapolated forecast for Logan Pass.
Looking good so far for my 3 nights at Granite Park Chalet Sep 2,3 and 4. :arrow:

pete :wink:

PS trivia
This my 3000th post as PeteE.
Combined with 1700+ as "pocketlint" would put me in 3rd place right behind EarMountain
Whoop Dee Dooo.

Re: Current weather?

Posted: Fri Aug 28, 2020 4:52 pm
by Sue Z
That's actually been around for a while. I've found the forecasts for different elevations to be particularly helpful, especially at Glacier.

Re: Current weather?

Posted: Thu Oct 22, 2020 4:34 pm
by PeteE
Winter Storm Warning

URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE
National Weather Service Missoula MT
155 PM MDT Thu Oct 22 2020

MTZ003-232000-
/O.UPG.KMSO.WS.A.0009.201023T2100Z-201024T1200Z/
/O.NEW.KMSO.WS.W.0009.201023T1800Z-201024T1800Z/
Flathead/Mission Valleys-
155 PM MDT Thu Oct 22 2020

...WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT FROM NOON FRIDAY TO NOON MDT
SATURDAY...

* WHAT...Heavy snow expected. Total snow accumulations of 4 to 8
inches. Winds gusting as high as 40 mph will cause periods of
whiteout conditions and could produce freezing spray on the
southern end of Flathead Lake.

* WHERE...Flathead Lake, Flathead Valley, Mission Valley, and
Polson.

* WHEN...From noon Friday to noon MDT Saturday.

* IMPACTS...Travel could be very difficult. Areas of blowing
snow could significantly reduce visibility.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

If you must travel, keep an extra flashlight, food, and water in
your vehicle in case of an emergency.

West Glacier Area Forecast

Winter Storm Warning

URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE
National Weather Service Missoula MT
155 PM MDT Thu Oct 22 2020

MTZ002-232000-
/O.UPG.KMSO.WS.A.0009.201023T2100Z-201024T1200Z/
/O.NEW.KMSO.WS.W.0009.201023T1800Z-201024T1800Z/
West Glacier Region-
155 PM MDT Thu Oct 22 2020

...WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT FROM NOON FRIDAY TO NOON MDT
SATURDAY...

* WHAT...Heavy snow expected. Total snow accumulations of 7 to 10
inches with amounts as high as 12 inches at Marias Pass. Winds
gusting as high as 50 mph, may create local blizzard-like
conditions at times between 9pm and 3am.


* WHERE...Bad Rock Canyon, Essex, Highway 83 Bigfork to Swan
Lake, Marias Pass, and Polebridge.

* WHEN...From noon Friday to noon MDT Saturday.

* IMPACTS...Travel could be affected. Areas of blowing snow
could significantly reduce visibility. The cold wind chills as
low as 25 below zero could cause frostbite on exposed skin in
as little as 30 minutes.


*********************************************************************************************************************
000
FXUS65 KMSO 222200
AFDMSO

Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Missoula MT
400 PM MDT Thu Oct 22 2020

..Dangerous and Potentially Historic Early Season Winter Storm,
Friday into Saturday...

.DISCUSSION...Partly cloudy and unseasonably cold conditions are
expected through Friday morning. Then an early season and
potentially historic winter storm will begin to affect the
Northern Rockies after noon on Friday.

Currently there is an unseasonably cold air mass across the
forecast area, and a moist Pacific weather system will overrun
that cold air Friday into Saturday. This will be followed by a
second and significantly colder Arctic air mass on Saturday into
Sunday. The focus of the best moisture and best synoptic forcing
will be over west central and southwest Montana, and the mountains
of central Idaho. Snow will begin around noon in northwest
Montana and will quickly increase in intensity, then spread south
and east. Although models have been very consistent with the track
of the storm, small deviations north or south may dramatically
change impacts discussed below.

The following are our most likely impacts:

Northwest Montana: Total snowfall ranges from 2-4 inches in far
northwest Montana to 4 to 8 inches in the Mission Valley, with
higher amounts in the mountains. East winds will arrive at
Columbia Falls between 6 and 9 pm, spreading south and west
throughout the evening. This will lower snowfall rates and
eventually cutoff precipitation completely. However, it will
create other hazards such as blowing and drifting of snow and
reduced visibilities. Additionally, trees that continue to have
leaves may see broken branches, and powerlines could be impacted.
For those of you on the southern end of Flathead Lake, freezing
spray may create an icy glaze on surfaces.

West Central Montana, I-90 corridor, and the mountains of north central
Idaho: Heavy snowfall ranging from 6 to 9 inches are expected in
the valleys, while nearer the Bitterroot Crest and the Clearwater
and Sapphire Mountains expect 1 to 2 feet. Winds will gust
Saturday morning up to 50 mph, causing considerable blowing and
drifting of snow and reduced visibilities. Blizzard like
conditions are possible for Hellgate Canyon, East Missoula,
downtown Missoula, and Rattlesnake Canyon. Trees with leaves may
have broken branches, and powerlines may be impacted.

Southwest Montana: Snow will begin here last and continue the
longest, as the system pulls in wrap around moisture. This may
continue light snow through noon Sunday. Heavy snowfall will range
from 6 to 10 inches in valleys, while pass levels could see up to
a foot. Winds gusting to 35 mph will cause blowing and drifting
snow and reduced visibilities. Powerlines may also be impacted.

Valleys of North Central Idaho: There is more uncertainty with
the forecast in this area. Confidence is high that Hells Canyon
will have minor snow accumulations of a trace to 1 inch. The
tougher call is on the Camas Prairie and higher portions of ID-95
between Grangeville and Riggins where we have questions on
totals. Two to 4 inches is the current forecast, but locations
like Greer and Whitebird Grade may receive up to 6 inches.
Additionally, the flow is expected to turn to the north on
Saturday which could produce an extended period of light snow for
the Camas Prairie.

Lemhi County: How fast will cold air arrive and change
precipitation to snow in places like Salmon is where the
uncertainty lies in the forecast. There is confidence that winds
gusting to 35 mph will be impactful in places like Bannock Pass
and Gilmore Summit. Snowfall totals presently do not look overly
impactful but a slight wobble south with the system could
dramatically change that.

Wow, you might think we are finished, unfortunately we are not. As
the system pulls away to the southeast a historically cold air
mass will be pulled south out of Canada. Our forecast currently
has record low temperatures for locations across our area.
However, under the right conditions, light winds and clear skies,
many locations could see low temperatures that would even be
records for the 1st week of November let alone October 25-26th.
The potential exists for double digit negatives along the
Continental Divide, single digit negatives in the rest of western
Montana, and single digits above zero in all but Hells Canyon
Idaho where teens are forecast.

&&

Re: Current weather?

Posted: Tue Aug 03, 2021 6:37 pm
by PeteE
The smoke/haze today was the worst I've seen it in the valley this year. :evil:
You could barely see the Columbia Mts. from the airport exit on US2.
WebCams from West Side are looking smoky. att. St. Mary and Logan South look awful as well.

Here's the near term forecast details from Great Falls for St. Mary.
Cooler with chance for showers, etc. but I believe they're being too optimistic.

00
FXUS65 KTFX 040015
AFDTFX

Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Great Falls MT
615 PM MDT Tue Aug 3 2021

...UPDATED AVIATION SECTION...

.SYNOPSIS...

Smoky and hazy skies continue today, but some improvement is
expected as northwest winds bring less smoky air into the region.
Dry and breezy conditions are expected tomorrow, with an isolated
shower or thunderstorm across the plains. A cooler, wetter pattern
is expected for this weekend.

&&

.DISCUSSION...

After an unusually wet August day yesterday, drier weather has
arrived for most of North-Central and Southwestern Montana today
as winds turned out of the northwest. A few light rain showers
have lingered across parts of eastern Fergus and Blaine counties,
but these rain showers have generally been light. These rain
showers will continue to diminish through the afternoon. However,
as these end, there will be the chance for a few isolated showers
and thunderstorms to pop up over the mountains, especially along
the Rocky Mountain Front and across Southwestern Montana as skies
clear and moisture leftover from yesterdays showers and storms
evaporates. Otherwise, the rest of today should be relatively
quiet, with temperatures reaching the mid 80s to low 90s with
light winds.

A weak upper level shortwave will begin to push into the area
tomorrow, which will bring some increased winds to the area,
especially along the Hi-Line. In addition to the winds, there may
be just enough moisture, lift, and instability to trigger a few
afternoon showers and thunderstorms across the North-Central
Plains. However, before getting hopes too high for additional
rainfall, the lower levels of the atmosphere will be very dry
tomorrow, and any precipitation from showers and thunderstorms
will be on the low side, and most showers and thunderstorms will
likely produce more wind than rain.

There will be no rest for the weary as we head into Thursday and
Friday, as yet another upper level trough pushes into the area,
bringing another round of showers and thunderstorms. These showers
and storms should be mostly confined to Southwestern Montana
during the day on Thursday, but will begin to spread northeastward
into North-Central Montana Thursday night and into Friday.

As we head towards the weekend, the overall pattern looks to be
unsettled, breezy, and cooler than average. Showers and
thunderstorms appear to be possible just about every day from
Friday through Monday. Ludwig

&&

.AVIATION...
615 PM MDT Tue Aug 3 2021 (04/00Z TAF period)

VFR/MVFR visibility due to hazy skies from wildfire smoke will
persist through at least 06Z, then visibility will mostly be VFR
with slightly less hazy skies. Otherwise, skies will become mostly
clear from the west through 06Z with decreasing northwest winds. A
disturbance will then bring a chance for isolated showers and
thunderstorms to most terminals after 21Z, with erratic wind gusts
being the main threat. -Coulston

Refer to weather.gov/zlc for more detailed regional aviation
weather and hazard information.

&&

.FIRE WEATHER...

After many areas saw beneficial wetting rains yesterday, a return
to mostly dry and breezy conditions is expected on Wednesday. A
few showers and thunderstorms will remain possible, but any shower
or thunderstorm is more likely to produce gusty winds than wetting
rainfall. After some quieter fire weather Thursday and Friday,
winds are expected to increase this weekend, with some potential
for critical fire weather conditions Saturday and Sunday.


^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
************************************************************************************************************************

West Glacier Forecast Details


000
FXUS65 KMSO 032046
AFDMSO

Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Missoula MT
246 PM MDT Tue Aug 3 2021

.DISCUSSION...Lingering moisture will combine with afternoon
heating to produce a few showers and isolated thunderstorms this
afternoon and evening. Convection should primarily favor the
terrain, though a few could drift off into the valleys through
this evening. Patchy valley fog is possible once again tonight,
though is not expected to be as widespread as was seen this
morning.

A shortwave of energy is expected to move through the high
pressure ridge beginning Wednesday morning, and could kick off a
few showers or thunderstorms in the morning hours across northwest
Montana. As the atmosphere destabilizes through the day, showers
and thunderstorms will become more scattered, especially favoring
western Montana near the Continental Divide. Any storms that
develop could produce some gusty outflow winds. Otherwise warmer
and relatively dry conditions will persist.

Forecast models continue to show a low pressure system tracking
through central Idaho and southwest Montana Thursday into Friday.
Initially, showers and thunderstorms will develop Thursday
afternoon with high chances for showers lingering into Friday.
Locations in central Idaho, Lemhi County and southwest Montana
have a good chance at seeing wetting rains with this system, with
a quarter to half an inch of precipitation not unlikely by Friday
afternoon. Precipitation chances decrease rapidly across northwest
Montana, with minimal chances closer to the Canadian border. All
locations can expect to see cooler temperatures by Friday and
going into the weekend. Flatter flow aloft with a low pressure
system passing to the north on Saturday will likely result in
some breezy to strong winds across all of western Montana and
central Idaho. Wind gusts of 30 to 40 mph are possible,
particularly in the terrain.

The forecast becomes more chaotic Sunday and beyond, with
forecast models showing the potential of troughiness to possibly a
closed low pressure system early next week. There continues to be
a lot of variability with the track of these systems, so there are
still a lot of questions on how much precipitation may fall.
Either way, relatively cool conditions will likely persist through
mid next week.

&&

.AVIATION...Smoky skies from nearby wildfires will inhibit
visibility at the terminals for the rest of today through
Wednesday across the Northern Rockies airspace. Smoke will also
obscure terrain across all mountain ranges in the Northern
Rockies. Expect winds to pick up each afternoon at all terminals.
Isolated thunderstorms will be possible across northwest Montana
overnight tonight and Wednesday morning.

&&

.MSO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
MT...None.
ID...None.
&&

$$

Re: Current weather?

Posted: Tue Aug 03, 2021 8:31 pm
by MarxMN
We hiked the Siyeh Pass trail today. Going up there was occasionally clear sky and sunshine overhead but the horizons were always hazy. On the St. May Lake side there was always haze. The mountains across St. Mary Lake were just shadows in the haze. I did notice the smokey smell that has occurred a few times.

The pleasant aspect - with all the people in the park I only saw 10 other people from Siyeh Pass to Sunrift Gorge. There were about 25 others from Siyeh Bend to Siyeh Pass.

Bill

Re: Current weather?

Posted: Tue Aug 03, 2021 8:36 pm
by MarxMN
One other note - the Siyeh Pass trail from Siyeh Bend to the Piegan Pass junction received rain yesterday. The trail was actually wet in places, not muddy but the first people through this morning left boot prints in the wet soil. And water had run off the trail in the cutouts. So not a lot of rain but enough to show up on the trail.

Re: Current weather?

Posted: Sat Aug 07, 2021 12:15 pm
by PeteE
One reason I'm not too optimistic about the smoke going away in the next few weeks.
NW Montana's prevailing wind this time of year is from the SW.
The big fires in CA, WA ID, and OR all located directly to our SouthWest :( :(
https://www.livescience.com/wildfire-sm ... anada.html