Winter in Bay Area

[Muse]

Dang wet start, I heard it was the biggest storm EVER in the region over the weekend (I suppose that encompasses the effects in the PNW). Between 10PM Saturday and 1AM Monday (27 hours) I measured around 8 inches rainfall in my Berkeley back yard using cylindrical cans.

But SF Chronicle article tapping experts says the Bay Area could experience anything... more equal or less rain and temperature conditions.

"It's a crapshoot," Null said of what a La Niña winter may bring. He wouldn't bet any money one way or the other on the upcoming winter, especially in a changing climate when climate patterns meteorologists observed in the past are no longer relevant.

Was the big storm the start to a rainy winter in the Bay Area?

We talked to three experts.

www.sfgate.com

 

[sdifox]

Damn Californians bitch when it's dry and bitch when it rains

 

[repoman0]

I was in SF / Sonoma for a wedding over the weekend, changed flight to Sunday 6AM with a layover to escape before it really hit. Still the worst takeoff ever and extremely bumpy over the Sierras. My original nonstop flight later in the day ended up taking off but got diverted to SLC. The plane probably started to fall apart over those mountains.

My friend left for his honeymoon Monday and sent me a video of him driving down an interstate in about six inches of water in a rental.

 

[Muse]

Damn Californains bitch when it's dry and bitch when it rains

If you went through what I went through over the weekend you wouldn't be so sanguine.

 

[sdifox]

If you went through what I went through over the weekend you wouldn't be so sanguine.

I grew up in the subtropics. Typhoon is common occurrence.

 

[Muse]

I grew up in the subtropics. Typhoon is common occurrence.

The storm we had over the weekend was probably the worst I've seen here in ~50 years. More may be on the way what with the burgeoning global warming crisis. Last year, in spite of the pandemic, they say that CO2 emissions went up again.

 

[quikah]

The storm we had over the weekend was probably the worst I've seen here in ~50 years. More may be on the way what with the burgeoning global warming crisis. Last year, in spite of the pandemic, they say that CO2 emissions went up again.

Man, I think you are exaggerating a bit. Yeah, it rained a lot, but it wasn't overly strong, just constant. Growing up in the Midwest it was pretty meh to me. No thunder or lightning, boring.

 

[Red Squirrel]

Here, we call that September. All it does is rain practically non stop, with the odd torrential downpour.

 

[Torn Mind]

My mom would say (translated) "God is crying" in fit of rage with the recent increase in wetness in MD.

 

[Muse]

Man, I think you are exaggerating a bit. Yeah, it rained a lot, but it wasn't overly strong, just constant. Growing up in the Midwest it was pretty meh to me. No thunder or lightning, boring.

It's true, our weather's boring compared to many places. I love lightening and thunder.

I have a puddle problem on the side of my house and I had to turn on a pump periodically for 27 hours straight. I think I pumped over 2000 gallons of water out to the gutter. I was worn out by the time it was over.

And I wasn't exaggerating. I heard twice on newscasts that it was the biggest storm in that part of the Pacific Ocean ever recorded. They called it a bomb cyclone, never heard them call a storm around here that

 

[Muse]

100 quadrillion drops

 

[rmacd02]

Yeah, atmospheric river is new to me, too. I've lived in the Bay Area since 1977, I can recall a few storms a bit worse than this. Not many, but a few. The atmospheric river that's all the rage is what I think they used to call the pineapple express.

 

[Muse]

Yeah, atmospheric river is new to me, too. I've lived in the Bay Area since 1977, I can recall a few storms a bit worse than this. Not many, but a few. The atmospheric river that's all the rage is what I think they used to call the pineapple express.

Exactly.

I've lived here continuously since 1973. They've been using that AR term for 2 or 3 years now. There was a storm about 4 or 5 years ago that might have been worse than this one, don't know. I was outside my house in the wee morning hours bailing water to the street using large trash cans and buckets. A neighbor turned me onto his pump when he saw me. I have bought a few pumps since, burned out one, another got swiped, I think. I have two now, a 1/6hp (that I used over the weekend) and a 1/4hp that's new in box. Got them all from Ace Hardware. I figure I need two pumps in case one fails. I figured out one thing yesterday, it's a real good idea to pump some clean water with the pump before storing it after using it. Letting mud inside it dry and harden may freeze it for when you need it! I've been meaning to try to work out a solution to the puddling problem but it hasn't materialized yet.

 

[sdifox]

I have been in a tiny fishing boat in the middle of a typhoon we had to go from a tiny island to a bigger island yo catch a plane back to Taiwan. Class was starting next day.

 

[Greenman]

It's true, our weather's boring compared to many places. I love lightening and thunder.

I have a puddle problem on the side of my house and I had to turn on a pump periodically for 27 hours straight. I think I pumped over 2000 gallons of water out to the gutter. I was worn out by the time it was over.

And I wasn't exaggerating. I heard twice on newscasts that it was the biggest storm in that part of the Pacific Ocean ever recorded. They called it a bomb cyclone, never heard them call a storm around here that

It was just heavy rain with very little wind. As storms go it was pretty tame.
The pump issue you have could be solved with a float switch

 

[Iron Woode]

I would rather have rain than snow.

 

[Captante]

The weather is such an absurd hype-story every time now its getting tough to know what's actually going to happen and when you really do need to be concerned.

Seems like nearly EVERY snow/rain/wind storm is some "bomb/cyclone/epic" bull$hit according to the media even if its just a normal (or at least semi-normal) event.

The "BIG NOR'EASTER" (!!1!1!!) the last couple days was a perfect example.... yes is was a big storm and a lot of people on Cape Cod lost power BUT as storms go it was nothing all that special for New England in Autumn.

Listen to most of the news reports it was the end of the world though.... apparently these folks never heard of "The boy who cried wolf".

 

[BudAshes]

Meteorologist says weather is a crap shoot. Give this man a raise!

 

[Muse]

Meteorologist says weather is a crap shoot. Give this man a raise!

meteorologists are a dime a dozen, if you judge by the revolving door you see on most TV stations.

I've never played craps. I realize that cliche means "anybody's guess," i.e. unpredictable. Eh, weather prediction has improved phenomenally from what it was 50 years ago, don't believe a word from anyone who says it hasn't. Satellite info and computer simulations have revolutionized meteorology, at least the predictive aspects.

 

[Captante]

meteorologists are a dime a dozen, if you judge by the revolving door you see on most TV stations.

I've never played craps. I realize that cliche means "anybody's guess," i.e. unpredictable. Eh, weather prediction has improved phenomenally from what it was 50 years ago, don't believe a word from anyone who says it hasn't. Satellite info and computer simulations have revolutionized meteorology, at least the predictive aspects.

Absolutely.... and most of them are more about ratings and entertainment then anything else.




I've found CBS News 880's (NYC AM radio) forecasts tend to be the most accurate in my area.

They FREQUENTLY will say right up front that they just "don't know what will happen" and then break down WHY they have that opinion.

 

[[DHT]Osiris]

The "BIG NOR'EASTER" (!!1!1!!) the last couple days was a perfect example.... yes is was a big storm and a lot of people on Cape Cod lost power BUT as storms go it was nothing all that special for New England in Autumn.

Depends entirely on where you are. Finger lakes got fucking drenched from that storm. My yard got flooded, several co-workers are doing basement recovery. Was by far the biggest storm I've seen since I lived here.

Real talk: the environment is changing, and you're gonna be seeing a lot more 'one in a x' events.
In fact, here's a picture I took. That water is sheeting out of a fucking forest. There's normally a little creek where the growth is in front of that tree, it was a river that day.

 

[Torn Mind]

Climate change is real but short term cross sections don't really tell the story.

If it were 2000-2015, Maryland would be turning into a desert

From 2015 onwards, it's gotten ridiculously wet in the summer.

 

[Captante]

Depends entirely on where you are

No doubt about it climate change is real and happening right now ... glad you are (apparently?) okay.

However I've seen many storms that were worse then mon/tues's in my area and yet received far less news coverage.

25 years ago that "big storm" would have been called a windy & rainy day.

 

[[DHT]Osiris]

No doubt about it climate change is real and happening right now ... glad you are (apparently?) okay.

However I've seen many storms that were worse then mon/tues's in my area and yet received far less news coverage.

25 years ago that "big storm" would have been called a windy & rainy day.

Were you watching local or regional news? It's probable that even local stuff gets spun up with a major event taking place, since frankly they often don't know how bad it's going to be and would rather hedge on the side of 'overcasting' the news.

I'd rather have a tornado watch that resulted in nothing than a hit with no warning.

 

[Captante]

Were you watching local or regional news? It's probable that even local stuff gets spun up with a major event taking place, since frankly they often don't know how bad it's going to be and would rather hedge on the side of 'overcasting' the news.

I'd rather have a tornado watch that resulted in nothing than a hit with no warning.

I don't watch a lot of ANY TV news because I got sick of the near-constant BS. For weather I watch national radar/satellite and read what the National Weather service reports with some radio when driving.

Over-reporting is a real problem because if everything is a "MAJOR DISASTER OMG OMG OMG" then nothing happens, when there's realistic high disaster potential many people won't listen.

Its more of a problem with snow storms where they treat a 2-3 inch dusting with gusty winds like its a blizzard. They'll give any even slightly unusual weather event a trendy name and try to spin it into a headline.