Rod's Weather Headlines

January - March Sets Record For Dry Weather

By Rod Hill on 2013-04-01

March ends as the third driest on record at PDX with 1.46 inches of total rainfall. Precipitation since January 1st is 6.21 inches, which is only 51 percent of normal. Average precipitation for the first quarter is 12.22 inches. The lack of moisture is the third driest start to a calendar...

By Rod Hill on 2013-03-26

For weeks, I have been talking about what has turned into an amazing dry streak since January first. Following a wet October - December, Portland has only seen 54 percent of normal rainfall this calendar year. With a 2013 rain total to date of 6.21 inches, this is the 3rd driest January -...

A Wet Start To The Spring Season

By Rod Hill on 2013-03-20

As promised a morning cold front is starting our spring season with a raindrop splat! Here are the totals as of 5:00 this morning: Astoria .96" / Newport .59" / Portland .61" / Vancouver .71" / Kelso .56" / Hillsboro .71" / McMinnville .63" / Salem .76" / Hood River .46" / The Dalles .18"...

Winter Seeing Less Cold Than Normal

By Rod Hill on 2013-03-04

The chill you felt this morning was the coldest air since January! Here are a few of the coldest unofficial low temperatures: Brush Prairie, (Clark County), 26 degrees, Hillsboro & Scappoose 27, Salem 28 and Portland 29 degrees. For Portland, today's chill was the coldest since January 22nd...

Hoping For A Non-Record Wet Spring

By Rod Hill on 2013-03-02

Meteorological spring begins! The scientific community considers March 1st through May as the spring season. The National Weather Service is calling for cool -- meaning below normal temperatures -- and gives little confidence of projected precipitation for the Northwest. The national map would s...

Valley Snow Chance Barely Alive

By Rod Hill on 2013-02-25

If you are a valley snow lover or a child at heart wishing for a Portland snow day, your chance of building a snowman is quickly vanishing. As the final days of February begin, forecast charts show now metro snow in sight. In fact, snow levels as March begins may go as high as 8,000 feet! ...

Snow Season Now Considered Normal

By Rod Hill on 2013-02-22

Today's winter storm brings active weather to the Northwest for the first time in weeks. Timberline lodge reports a foot of new snow since yesterday and two more feet are likely through Saturday morning! Before the flakes started to fall yesterday, the lodge had only seen 30 inches of snow...

Mini climate shift set to continue in Oregon

By Rod Hill on 2013-02-05

So far this month, there's been only a trace in the rain bucket and forecast charts, which are often too wet, give Portland just 1.62-inches of moisture through the first 20 days of this month. February average rainfall over the past 30 years is 3.66 inches - an average that ten years ago wa...

Mini climate shift set to continue in Oregon

By Rod Hill on 2013-02-05

Much needed weekend powder!

By Rod Hill on 2013-01-26

Mt. Hood resorts are thrilled to pick up fresh powder this weekend. The heavy snows of mid-December left a snow depth at Timberline of 114 inches, Meadows 105 inches and Skibowl 64 inches. Total snowfall at 6,000' through Christmas day was 266 inches. Since that day, just 53 inches of sn...