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Extreme high winds at Mt Hood Timberline: 136 mph!
- Amar Andalkar
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21 Dec 2014 09:07 #223284
by Amar Andalkar
Extreme high winds at Mt Hood Timberline: 136 mph! was created by Amar Andalkar
Wind gusts during the early AM hours of Sunday, December 21, 2014, reached 136 mph at the NWAC telemetry site at the Top of Magic Mile chair (7000 ft) at Timberline Lodge ski area on the south flank of Mount Hood, Oregon. This appears to be a new record high wind for this site, at least over the last 10 years for which I have hourly archived NWAC data in an accessible format. Winds at the nearby Top of Cascade Express site (7300 ft) at Mount Hood Meadows Ski Area on the volcano's SE flank also reached 118 mph during the same hour, so the speeds recorded atop Magic Mile are almost certainly legit.
Two other NWAC sites at the summits of White Pass (5970 ft) and Mission Ridge (6730 ft) ski areas also topped 100 mph during the same hours, as strong westerly flow aloft brought high winds and torrential rains to the Washington and Oregon Cascades, including over 6-8" of precip in 24 hours at Mount Hood. Unfortunately wind speeds for Camp Muir (10100 ft) on Mount Rainier are not currently available, as the wind gauge there has been heavily rimed over and reading zero mph since December 5 (the windward sides of structures at Camp Muir were covered in 2-3 ft thick rime ice as of last Saturday, December 13). Given that Muir is the highest and windiest of the NWAC sites, with a maximum gust of 155 mph recorded in February 2011, it would have been interesting to compare how high its winds were during this event.
Here is the NWAC telemetry from the Mount Hood sites covering the overnight period:
[size=small]
Northwest Avalanche Center
Timberline Lodge, Oregon
Prec gage may record snow falling from nearby trees Northwest Avalanche Center
Total snow may read bushes in early season Top of The Magic Mile chair, Timberline, Oregon
MM/DD Hour Temp RH Wind Wind Wind Wind Hour Total 24 Hr Total MM/DD Hour Temp RH Wind Wind Wind Wind
PST F % Min Avg Max Dir Prec Prec Snow Snow PST F % Min Avg Max Dir
5880' 5880' 6000' 6000' 6000' 6000' 5880' 5880' 5880' 5880' 7000' 7000' 7000' 7000' 7000' 7000'
12 21 800 32 100 9 15 32 295 .27 7.99 31 17 12 21 800 29 100 52 66 85 165
12 21 700 32 100 8 16 33 292 .46 7.72 30 15 12 21 700 29 100 52 70 102 162
12 21 600 32 100 8 16 32 294 .38 7.26 31 15 12 21 600 30 100 54 72 103 161
12 21 500 32 100 11 22 43 297 .27 6.88 31 19 12 21 500 31 100 60 87 115 162
12 21 400 34 100 10 20 48 299 .39 7.06 31 19 12 21 400 32 100 63 83 115 159
12 21 300 34 100 9 22 46 301 .35 6.67 31 19 12 21 300 32 100 66 84 118 156
12 21 200 35 100 12 26 51 310 .57 6.32 31 18 12 21 200 32 100 71 98 129 154
12 21 100 38 100 12 25 46 297 .44 5.75 31 18 12 21 100 34 100 68 92 136 163
12 21 0 39 100 13 25 49 295 .31 5.31 31 19 12 21 0 35 100 68 88 120 158
12 20 2300 40 100 15 26 52 287 .24 5 0 17 12 20 2300 36 100 71 94 121 158
12 20 2200 39 100 10 22 44 288 .35 4.76 0 17 12 20 2200 36 100 66 86 115 160
12 20 2100 39 100 12 21 36 288 .35 4.41 0 17 12 20 2100 36 100 65 82 108 155
12 20 2000 39 100 11 18 32 290 .4 4.06 0 18 12 20 2000 36 100 56 74 97 157
12 20 1900 39 100 9 17 32 290 .44 3.66 1 21 12 20 1900 36 100 58 74 94 157
12 20 1800 38 100 8 15 28 288 .37 3.22 2 21 12 20 1800 35 100 54 68 98 162
12 20 1700 37 100 10 17 29 292 .44 2.85 2 24 12 20 1700 35 100 51 70 96 159
12 20 1600 36 100 7 13 23 291 .39 2.41 2 25 12 20 1600 33 100 52 66 81 170
12 20 1500 33 100 6 12 25 294 .39 2.02 2 25 12 20 1500 32 100 49 63 85 95
12 20 1400 32 100 5 9 16 291 .25 1.63 2 26 12 20 1400 32 100 40 55 75 82
12 20 1300 32 100 4 10 20 292 .23 1.38 2 24 12 20 1300 31 100 27 43 57 80
12 20 1200 31 100 4 10 21 278 .24 1.15 2 24 12 20 1200 30 99 32 42 56 82
12 20 1100 31 100 3 9 20 295 .13 .91 0 23 12 20 1100 30 100 27 40 66 82
12 20 1000 31 100 3 9 19 290 .17 .78 0 20 12 20 1000 29 99 24 39 65 85
12 20 900 30 100 4 9 16 293 .16 .61 13 20 12 20 900 28 99 26 38 64 69
12 20 800 30 100 2 8 18 298 .14 .45 13 23 12 20 800 28 99 18 41 59 79
12 20 700 29 100 0 6 14 296 .13 .31 13 23 12 20 700 27 99 24 38 58 71
12 20 600 28 100 -0 5 12 292 .14 .18 12 22 12 20 600 26 99 18 32 51 61
12 20 500 28 100 1 6 16 289 .04 .04 11 22 12 20 500 26 98 17 30 45 54
Northwest Avalanche Center Northwest Avalanche Center
Mt Hood Meadows Ski Area, Oregon Top of Cascade Express, Mt Hood Meadows Ski Area
Wind gages heated but building structure may
cause rime around instruments
RH out
MM/DD Hour Temp Temp RH RH Wind Wind Wind Hour Total 24 Hr Total Press MM/DD Hour Temp RH Wind Wind Wind Wind
PST F F % % Avg Max Dir Prec Prec Snow Snow mb PST F % Min Avg Max Dir
6540' 5380' 6540' 5380' 6540' 6540' 6540' 5380' 5380' 5380' 5380' 5380' 7300' 7300' 7300 7300' 7300' 7300'
12 21 800 29 33 97 97 13 35 282 .16 6.3 2 18 1012 12 21 800 28 98 17 27 42 52
12 21 700 29 33 97 96 15 36 251 .32 6.14 2 17 1011 12 21 700 28 98 19 29 41 52
12 21 600 30 33 97 96 16 39 236 .25 5.82 1 16 1010 12 21 600 29 99 21 32 46 52
12 21 500 31 34 96 93 21 47 139 .24 5.57 0 17 1010 12 21 500 29 100 22 40 63 52
12 21 400 31 36 97 95 22 45 245 .28 5.75 0 18 1009 12 21 400 31 100 13 42 74 52
12 21 300 31 36 96 95 19 41 288 .29 5.47 0 17 1008 12 21 300 31 100 37 57 88 135
12 21 200 31 37 96 95 29 58 190 .37 5.18 0 16 1007 12 21 200 32 100 31 69 107 288
12 21 100 35 40 96 96 20 46 245 .33 4.81 0 17 1005 12 21 100 31 88 39 72 118 281
12 21 0 36 41 95 96 18 49 225 .26 4.48 0 17 1005 12 21 0 32 87 42 67 100 277
12 20 2300 37 42 95 97 20 47 213 .22 4.22 1 18 1004 12 20 2300 33 87 47 74 109 280
12 20 2200 37 41 95 96 15 41 270 .34 4 1 18 1004 12 20 2200 33 84 45 71 107 281
12 20 2100 36 41 95 97 17 42 255 .28 3.66 2 19 1004 12 20 2100 33 88 38 63 93 280
12 20 2000 36 41 95 96 14 35 257 .35 3.38 2 18 1004 12 20 2000 34 92 43 63 89 282
12 20 1900 36 40 95 97 15 31 226 .35 3.03 2 20 1004 12 20 1900 35 100 47 66 89 282
12 20 1800 36 39 95 97 14 34 238 .3 2.68 3 21 1004 12 20 1800 33 97 39 60 92 277
12 20 1700 35 37 95 100 12 36 221 .34 2.38 3 21 1005 12 20 1700 33 99 34 56 83 281
12 20 1600 33 32 96 98 11 23 223 .31 2.04 3 22 1004 12 20 1600 32 98 37 52 77 272
12 20 1500 31 32 96 97 11 20 210 .32 1.73 3 22 1004 12 20 1500 32 97 0 16 68 266
12 20 1400 31 32 96 97 14 23 185 .18 1.41 3 22 1005 12 20 1400 31 96 0 0 0 265
12 20 1300 29 32 96 97 14 27 298 .18 1.23 2 21 1005 12 20 1300 30 95 0 0 0 265
12 20 1200 29 33 96 97 14 27 231 .17 1.05 2 26 1006 12 20 1200 29 94 0 0 0 265
12 20 1100 29 33 96 97 12 23 203 .11 .88 0 20 1007 12 20 1100 29 94 0 0 0 265
12 20 1000 28 33 96 97 11 22 201 .17 .77 0 19 1007 12 20 1000 28 94 0 0 0 265
12 20 900 28 32 94 96 10 21 217 .18 .6 7 29 1007 12 20 900 27 94 0 0 0 265
12 20 800 27 31 93 97 12 26 214 .1 .42 7 18 1007 12 20 800 26 94 0 0 0 265
12 20 700 26 30 92 96 12 23 221 .12 .32 7 17 1007 12 20 700 25 93 0 0 0 265
12 20 600 25 30 92 96 12 20 215 .14 .2 6 17 1007 12 20 600 24 93 0 0 0 265
12 20 500 25 30 92 96 13 22 233 .06 .06 5 16 1008 12 20 500 24 93 0 0 0 265
[/size]
How common are high winds at the Top of Magic Mile site? It seems to vary significantly from year to year. Here is a list of the highest wind speeds recorded in each of the last 10 years there (I wrote a PHP script a few years ago which simplifies finding high wind events in the large amounts of hourly data):
2014: 136 mph, 21Dec2014 (also 123 mph, 21Nov2014)
2013: 100 mph, 07Nov1013
2012: 123 mph, 21Feb2012 (also 111 mph, 19Jan2012)
2011: 106 mph, 29Dec2011
2010: 91 mph, 03May2010 and 16Nov2010
2009: 130 mph, 06Jan2009
2008: 104 mph, 06Dec2008
2007: 130 mph, 15Feb2007 (also 119 mph, 07Jan2007, and 115 mph, 17Nov2007)
2006: 95 mph, 27Dec2006
2005: 67 mph, 05Nov2005
So winds gusting over 120 mph have occurred on several occasions, in almost half of all the years, and today's event was only a few mph greater than the previous high wind of 130 mph recorded on 2 separate occasions. And clearly, this data shows that winds over 120 mph at Mount Hood tend to occur much more often on the 21st of a month than on any other date! [size=small](well, not really, that's pure coincidence)[/size]
For reference, here is the NWS Mount Rainier Recreational Forecast from Saturday afternoon, predicting extreme winds at higher elevations overnight. Note that as stated, the forecast wind speeds are averages in the free air at those elevations, and actual wind speeds around large isolated stratovolcanoes can be significantly enhanced by orographic effects, often by 50% or more, along with an additional factor for gusts compared to average speeds:
[size=small]
MOUNT RAINIER RECREATIONAL FORECAST
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SEATTLE WA
335 PM PST SAT DEC 20 2014
..FLOOD WATCHES AND/OR WARNINGS HAVE BEEN ISSUED FOR PORTIONS OF THE ZONE FORECAST AREA. PLEASE REFER TO THE LATEST FLOOD BULLETIN FOR DETAILS...
SYNOPSIS...STRONG MOIST FLOW WILL CONTINUE TONIGHT AND SUNDAY FOR HEAVY RAIN AND SNOW AT MOUNT RAINIER. AN UPPER LEVEL RIDGE WILL BUILD OVER THE REGION ON MONDAY FOR DRIER WEATHER. A COLD FRONT WILL SLIDE SOUTHEAST THROUGH THE AREA ON TUESDAY. A COOL UPPER TROUGH WILL CROSS WESTERN WASHINGTON ON WEDNESDAY. DRY NORTHERLY FLOW WILL PREVAIL ON CHRISTMAS DAY.
..WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 4 PM PST THIS AFTERNOON...
SATURDAY NIGHT...STRONG WINDS. RAIN AND SNOW. PRECIPITATION MAY BE HEAVY AT TIMES. SNOW ACCUMULATION OF 6 TO 11 INCHES. SNOW LEVEL NEAR 6500 FEET.
SUNDAY...VERY WINDY. RAIN AND SNOW. SNOW ACCUMULATION OF 5 TO 10 INCHES. SNOW LEVEL NEAR 5000 FEET.
SUNDAY NIGHT...VERY WINDY. RAIN AND SNOW. SNOW ACCUMULATION OF 2 TO 4 INCHES. TOTAL SNOW ACCUMULATION 13 TO 25 INCHES. SNOW LEVEL NEAR 4000 FEET.
MONDAY...WINDY. MOSTLY CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF RAIN AND SNOW. SNOW LEVEL NEAR 4000 FEET.
TEMPERATURE AND WIND FORECASTS FOR SELECTED LOCATIONS.
SAT SUN SUN MON
NIGHT NIGHT
SUMMIT (14411 FT) 12 3 0 9
W 130 W 115 NW 115 NW 90
CAMP MUIR(10188 FT) 21 15 10 19
W 85 W 70 W 65 NW 40
PARADISE (5420 FT) 31 34 32 35
W 35 W 30 W 25 W 20
LONGMIRE (2700 FT) 41 44 38 41
W 15 W 10 W 15 W 10
++ TEMPERATURES AND WIND FOR THE SUMMIT AND CAMP MUIR ARE AVERAGE
CONDITIONS EXPECTED IN THE FREE AIR AT THOSE ELEVATIONS.
++ TEMPERATURES FOR PARADISE AND LONGMIRE ARE THE EXPECTED HIGHS AND
LOWS. WIND IS THE AVERAGE WIND EXPECTED DURING THAT PERIOD.
EXTENDED FORECAST...
MONDAY NIGHT...MOSTLY CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF RAIN AND SNOW. SNOW LEVEL NEAR 5000 FEET.
TUESDAY...WINDY. CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF RAIN AND SNOW. SNOW LEVEL NEAR 6500 FEET.
TUESDAY NIGHT...RAIN AND SNOW LIKELY. SNOW LEVEL NEAR 5000 FEET.
WEDNESDAY...RAIN AND SNOW SHOWERS LIKELY. SNOW LEVEL NEAR 2000 FEET.
WEDNESDAY NIGHT...MOSTLY CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF SNOW SHOWERS.
CHRISTMAS DAY...PARTLY SUNNY WITH A CHANCE OF SNOW SHOWERS.
THURSDAY NIGHT...MOSTLY CLOUDY. FREEZING LEVEL NEAR 2500 FEET.
FRIDAY...PARTLY SUNNY. FREEZING LEVEL NEAR 3000 FEET.
FRIDAY NIGHT...MOSTLY CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF SNOW.
SATURDAY...MOSTLY CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF RAIN AND SNOW. SNOW LEVEL NEAR 3000 FEET.
[/size]
(It's too bad that the Portland NWS office doesn't produce a similar mountain forecast product for Mount Hood, something which would be very helpful to a large number of recreational users and which I've wished they would do for many years now, just as the Seattle and Medford NWS offices have done for Mounts Rainier and Shasta respectively for the past 2 decades and perhaps longer.)
Here are some previous TAY threads about high winds:
Windy at Mission Ridge (January 2014), statistical comparison of high winds at Camp Muir vs. Mission Ridge
Windy on the east side (March 2011)
Muiricane (February 2011), the record 155 mph gust
Winds over 100 mph at many NWAC sites, 15Nov2010
A little breezy on the east side... (Dec 2006)
Two other NWAC sites at the summits of White Pass (5970 ft) and Mission Ridge (6730 ft) ski areas also topped 100 mph during the same hours, as strong westerly flow aloft brought high winds and torrential rains to the Washington and Oregon Cascades, including over 6-8" of precip in 24 hours at Mount Hood. Unfortunately wind speeds for Camp Muir (10100 ft) on Mount Rainier are not currently available, as the wind gauge there has been heavily rimed over and reading zero mph since December 5 (the windward sides of structures at Camp Muir were covered in 2-3 ft thick rime ice as of last Saturday, December 13). Given that Muir is the highest and windiest of the NWAC sites, with a maximum gust of 155 mph recorded in February 2011, it would have been interesting to compare how high its winds were during this event.
Here is the NWAC telemetry from the Mount Hood sites covering the overnight period:
[size=small]
Northwest Avalanche Center
Timberline Lodge, Oregon
Prec gage may record snow falling from nearby trees Northwest Avalanche Center
Total snow may read bushes in early season Top of The Magic Mile chair, Timberline, Oregon
MM/DD Hour Temp RH Wind Wind Wind Wind Hour Total 24 Hr Total MM/DD Hour Temp RH Wind Wind Wind Wind
PST F % Min Avg Max Dir Prec Prec Snow Snow PST F % Min Avg Max Dir
5880' 5880' 6000' 6000' 6000' 6000' 5880' 5880' 5880' 5880' 7000' 7000' 7000' 7000' 7000' 7000'
12 21 800 32 100 9 15 32 295 .27 7.99 31 17 12 21 800 29 100 52 66 85 165
12 21 700 32 100 8 16 33 292 .46 7.72 30 15 12 21 700 29 100 52 70 102 162
12 21 600 32 100 8 16 32 294 .38 7.26 31 15 12 21 600 30 100 54 72 103 161
12 21 500 32 100 11 22 43 297 .27 6.88 31 19 12 21 500 31 100 60 87 115 162
12 21 400 34 100 10 20 48 299 .39 7.06 31 19 12 21 400 32 100 63 83 115 159
12 21 300 34 100 9 22 46 301 .35 6.67 31 19 12 21 300 32 100 66 84 118 156
12 21 200 35 100 12 26 51 310 .57 6.32 31 18 12 21 200 32 100 71 98 129 154
12 21 100 38 100 12 25 46 297 .44 5.75 31 18 12 21 100 34 100 68 92 136 163
12 21 0 39 100 13 25 49 295 .31 5.31 31 19 12 21 0 35 100 68 88 120 158
12 20 2300 40 100 15 26 52 287 .24 5 0 17 12 20 2300 36 100 71 94 121 158
12 20 2200 39 100 10 22 44 288 .35 4.76 0 17 12 20 2200 36 100 66 86 115 160
12 20 2100 39 100 12 21 36 288 .35 4.41 0 17 12 20 2100 36 100 65 82 108 155
12 20 2000 39 100 11 18 32 290 .4 4.06 0 18 12 20 2000 36 100 56 74 97 157
12 20 1900 39 100 9 17 32 290 .44 3.66 1 21 12 20 1900 36 100 58 74 94 157
12 20 1800 38 100 8 15 28 288 .37 3.22 2 21 12 20 1800 35 100 54 68 98 162
12 20 1700 37 100 10 17 29 292 .44 2.85 2 24 12 20 1700 35 100 51 70 96 159
12 20 1600 36 100 7 13 23 291 .39 2.41 2 25 12 20 1600 33 100 52 66 81 170
12 20 1500 33 100 6 12 25 294 .39 2.02 2 25 12 20 1500 32 100 49 63 85 95
12 20 1400 32 100 5 9 16 291 .25 1.63 2 26 12 20 1400 32 100 40 55 75 82
12 20 1300 32 100 4 10 20 292 .23 1.38 2 24 12 20 1300 31 100 27 43 57 80
12 20 1200 31 100 4 10 21 278 .24 1.15 2 24 12 20 1200 30 99 32 42 56 82
12 20 1100 31 100 3 9 20 295 .13 .91 0 23 12 20 1100 30 100 27 40 66 82
12 20 1000 31 100 3 9 19 290 .17 .78 0 20 12 20 1000 29 99 24 39 65 85
12 20 900 30 100 4 9 16 293 .16 .61 13 20 12 20 900 28 99 26 38 64 69
12 20 800 30 100 2 8 18 298 .14 .45 13 23 12 20 800 28 99 18 41 59 79
12 20 700 29 100 0 6 14 296 .13 .31 13 23 12 20 700 27 99 24 38 58 71
12 20 600 28 100 -0 5 12 292 .14 .18 12 22 12 20 600 26 99 18 32 51 61
12 20 500 28 100 1 6 16 289 .04 .04 11 22 12 20 500 26 98 17 30 45 54
Northwest Avalanche Center Northwest Avalanche Center
Mt Hood Meadows Ski Area, Oregon Top of Cascade Express, Mt Hood Meadows Ski Area
Wind gages heated but building structure may
cause rime around instruments
RH out
MM/DD Hour Temp Temp RH RH Wind Wind Wind Hour Total 24 Hr Total Press MM/DD Hour Temp RH Wind Wind Wind Wind
PST F F % % Avg Max Dir Prec Prec Snow Snow mb PST F % Min Avg Max Dir
6540' 5380' 6540' 5380' 6540' 6540' 6540' 5380' 5380' 5380' 5380' 5380' 7300' 7300' 7300 7300' 7300' 7300'
12 21 800 29 33 97 97 13 35 282 .16 6.3 2 18 1012 12 21 800 28 98 17 27 42 52
12 21 700 29 33 97 96 15 36 251 .32 6.14 2 17 1011 12 21 700 28 98 19 29 41 52
12 21 600 30 33 97 96 16 39 236 .25 5.82 1 16 1010 12 21 600 29 99 21 32 46 52
12 21 500 31 34 96 93 21 47 139 .24 5.57 0 17 1010 12 21 500 29 100 22 40 63 52
12 21 400 31 36 97 95 22 45 245 .28 5.75 0 18 1009 12 21 400 31 100 13 42 74 52
12 21 300 31 36 96 95 19 41 288 .29 5.47 0 17 1008 12 21 300 31 100 37 57 88 135
12 21 200 31 37 96 95 29 58 190 .37 5.18 0 16 1007 12 21 200 32 100 31 69 107 288
12 21 100 35 40 96 96 20 46 245 .33 4.81 0 17 1005 12 21 100 31 88 39 72 118 281
12 21 0 36 41 95 96 18 49 225 .26 4.48 0 17 1005 12 21 0 32 87 42 67 100 277
12 20 2300 37 42 95 97 20 47 213 .22 4.22 1 18 1004 12 20 2300 33 87 47 74 109 280
12 20 2200 37 41 95 96 15 41 270 .34 4 1 18 1004 12 20 2200 33 84 45 71 107 281
12 20 2100 36 41 95 97 17 42 255 .28 3.66 2 19 1004 12 20 2100 33 88 38 63 93 280
12 20 2000 36 41 95 96 14 35 257 .35 3.38 2 18 1004 12 20 2000 34 92 43 63 89 282
12 20 1900 36 40 95 97 15 31 226 .35 3.03 2 20 1004 12 20 1900 35 100 47 66 89 282
12 20 1800 36 39 95 97 14 34 238 .3 2.68 3 21 1004 12 20 1800 33 97 39 60 92 277
12 20 1700 35 37 95 100 12 36 221 .34 2.38 3 21 1005 12 20 1700 33 99 34 56 83 281
12 20 1600 33 32 96 98 11 23 223 .31 2.04 3 22 1004 12 20 1600 32 98 37 52 77 272
12 20 1500 31 32 96 97 11 20 210 .32 1.73 3 22 1004 12 20 1500 32 97 0 16 68 266
12 20 1400 31 32 96 97 14 23 185 .18 1.41 3 22 1005 12 20 1400 31 96 0 0 0 265
12 20 1300 29 32 96 97 14 27 298 .18 1.23 2 21 1005 12 20 1300 30 95 0 0 0 265
12 20 1200 29 33 96 97 14 27 231 .17 1.05 2 26 1006 12 20 1200 29 94 0 0 0 265
12 20 1100 29 33 96 97 12 23 203 .11 .88 0 20 1007 12 20 1100 29 94 0 0 0 265
12 20 1000 28 33 96 97 11 22 201 .17 .77 0 19 1007 12 20 1000 28 94 0 0 0 265
12 20 900 28 32 94 96 10 21 217 .18 .6 7 29 1007 12 20 900 27 94 0 0 0 265
12 20 800 27 31 93 97 12 26 214 .1 .42 7 18 1007 12 20 800 26 94 0 0 0 265
12 20 700 26 30 92 96 12 23 221 .12 .32 7 17 1007 12 20 700 25 93 0 0 0 265
12 20 600 25 30 92 96 12 20 215 .14 .2 6 17 1007 12 20 600 24 93 0 0 0 265
12 20 500 25 30 92 96 13 22 233 .06 .06 5 16 1008 12 20 500 24 93 0 0 0 265
[/size]
How common are high winds at the Top of Magic Mile site? It seems to vary significantly from year to year. Here is a list of the highest wind speeds recorded in each of the last 10 years there (I wrote a PHP script a few years ago which simplifies finding high wind events in the large amounts of hourly data):
2014: 136 mph, 21Dec2014 (also 123 mph, 21Nov2014)
2013: 100 mph, 07Nov1013
2012: 123 mph, 21Feb2012 (also 111 mph, 19Jan2012)
2011: 106 mph, 29Dec2011
2010: 91 mph, 03May2010 and 16Nov2010
2009: 130 mph, 06Jan2009
2008: 104 mph, 06Dec2008
2007: 130 mph, 15Feb2007 (also 119 mph, 07Jan2007, and 115 mph, 17Nov2007)
2006: 95 mph, 27Dec2006
2005: 67 mph, 05Nov2005
So winds gusting over 120 mph have occurred on several occasions, in almost half of all the years, and today's event was only a few mph greater than the previous high wind of 130 mph recorded on 2 separate occasions. And clearly, this data shows that winds over 120 mph at Mount Hood tend to occur much more often on the 21st of a month than on any other date! [size=small](well, not really, that's pure coincidence)[/size]
For reference, here is the NWS Mount Rainier Recreational Forecast from Saturday afternoon, predicting extreme winds at higher elevations overnight. Note that as stated, the forecast wind speeds are averages in the free air at those elevations, and actual wind speeds around large isolated stratovolcanoes can be significantly enhanced by orographic effects, often by 50% or more, along with an additional factor for gusts compared to average speeds:
[size=small]
MOUNT RAINIER RECREATIONAL FORECAST
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SEATTLE WA
335 PM PST SAT DEC 20 2014
..FLOOD WATCHES AND/OR WARNINGS HAVE BEEN ISSUED FOR PORTIONS OF THE ZONE FORECAST AREA. PLEASE REFER TO THE LATEST FLOOD BULLETIN FOR DETAILS...
SYNOPSIS...STRONG MOIST FLOW WILL CONTINUE TONIGHT AND SUNDAY FOR HEAVY RAIN AND SNOW AT MOUNT RAINIER. AN UPPER LEVEL RIDGE WILL BUILD OVER THE REGION ON MONDAY FOR DRIER WEATHER. A COLD FRONT WILL SLIDE SOUTHEAST THROUGH THE AREA ON TUESDAY. A COOL UPPER TROUGH WILL CROSS WESTERN WASHINGTON ON WEDNESDAY. DRY NORTHERLY FLOW WILL PREVAIL ON CHRISTMAS DAY.
..WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 4 PM PST THIS AFTERNOON...
SATURDAY NIGHT...STRONG WINDS. RAIN AND SNOW. PRECIPITATION MAY BE HEAVY AT TIMES. SNOW ACCUMULATION OF 6 TO 11 INCHES. SNOW LEVEL NEAR 6500 FEET.
SUNDAY...VERY WINDY. RAIN AND SNOW. SNOW ACCUMULATION OF 5 TO 10 INCHES. SNOW LEVEL NEAR 5000 FEET.
SUNDAY NIGHT...VERY WINDY. RAIN AND SNOW. SNOW ACCUMULATION OF 2 TO 4 INCHES. TOTAL SNOW ACCUMULATION 13 TO 25 INCHES. SNOW LEVEL NEAR 4000 FEET.
MONDAY...WINDY. MOSTLY CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF RAIN AND SNOW. SNOW LEVEL NEAR 4000 FEET.
TEMPERATURE AND WIND FORECASTS FOR SELECTED LOCATIONS.
SAT SUN SUN MON
NIGHT NIGHT
SUMMIT (14411 FT) 12 3 0 9
W 130 W 115 NW 115 NW 90
CAMP MUIR(10188 FT) 21 15 10 19
W 85 W 70 W 65 NW 40
PARADISE (5420 FT) 31 34 32 35
W 35 W 30 W 25 W 20
LONGMIRE (2700 FT) 41 44 38 41
W 15 W 10 W 15 W 10
++ TEMPERATURES AND WIND FOR THE SUMMIT AND CAMP MUIR ARE AVERAGE
CONDITIONS EXPECTED IN THE FREE AIR AT THOSE ELEVATIONS.
++ TEMPERATURES FOR PARADISE AND LONGMIRE ARE THE EXPECTED HIGHS AND
LOWS. WIND IS THE AVERAGE WIND EXPECTED DURING THAT PERIOD.
EXTENDED FORECAST...
MONDAY NIGHT...MOSTLY CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF RAIN AND SNOW. SNOW LEVEL NEAR 5000 FEET.
TUESDAY...WINDY. CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF RAIN AND SNOW. SNOW LEVEL NEAR 6500 FEET.
TUESDAY NIGHT...RAIN AND SNOW LIKELY. SNOW LEVEL NEAR 5000 FEET.
WEDNESDAY...RAIN AND SNOW SHOWERS LIKELY. SNOW LEVEL NEAR 2000 FEET.
WEDNESDAY NIGHT...MOSTLY CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF SNOW SHOWERS.
CHRISTMAS DAY...PARTLY SUNNY WITH A CHANCE OF SNOW SHOWERS.
THURSDAY NIGHT...MOSTLY CLOUDY. FREEZING LEVEL NEAR 2500 FEET.
FRIDAY...PARTLY SUNNY. FREEZING LEVEL NEAR 3000 FEET.
FRIDAY NIGHT...MOSTLY CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF SNOW.
SATURDAY...MOSTLY CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF RAIN AND SNOW. SNOW LEVEL NEAR 3000 FEET.
[/size]
(It's too bad that the Portland NWS office doesn't produce a similar mountain forecast product for Mount Hood, something which would be very helpful to a large number of recreational users and which I've wished they would do for many years now, just as the Seattle and Medford NWS offices have done for Mounts Rainier and Shasta respectively for the past 2 decades and perhaps longer.)
Here are some previous TAY threads about high winds:
Windy at Mission Ridge (January 2014), statistical comparison of high winds at Camp Muir vs. Mission Ridge
Windy on the east side (March 2011)
Muiricane (February 2011), the record 155 mph gust
Winds over 100 mph at many NWAC sites, 15Nov2010
A little breezy on the east side... (Dec 2006)
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- Amar Andalkar
- [andalkar]
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21 Dec 2014 15:29 #223292
by Amar Andalkar
Replied by Amar Andalkar on topic Re: Extreme high winds at Mt Hood Timberline: 136 mph!
Although wind data from Camp Muir is simply not available during this event, the wind data from Mount Rainier Paradise is quite interesting, hitting a maximum of 67 mph, a very high wind speed for that site located about 1000 ft below local treeline. Here is the Paradise and Muir telemetry for the same period:
[size=small]
Northwest Avalanche Center Northwest Avalanche Center
Paradise, Mt Rainier National Park, Washington Camp Muir, Mt Rainier National Park, Washington
Total snow may read bushes in early season Wind gages unheated and may rime
Phone line repaired Dec 1
MM/DD Hour Temp RH Wind Wind Wind Hour Total 24 Hr Total Solar MM/DD Hour Temp RH Wind Wind Wind Wind Solar
PST F % Avg Max Dir Prec Prec Snow Snow W/m2 PST F % Min Avg Max Dir W/m2
5400' 5400' 5380' 5380' 5380' 5400' 5400' 5400' 5400' 5380' 10110' 10110' 10110' 10110' 10110' 10110' 10110'
12 21 1200 32 100 22 36 258 .03 2.65 -0 37 44 12 21 1200 15 96 0 0 0 249 131
12 21 1100 32 100 24 42 258 .03 2.62 -0 31 27 12 21 1100 15 96 0 0 0 248 83
12 21 1000 32 100 25 42 261 .05 2.59 2 36 17 12 21 1000 15 96 0 0 0 244 51
12 21 900 32 100 27 44 262 .04 2.54 48 31 7 12 21 900 16 97 0 0 0 243 21
12 21 800 32 100 26 42 262 .08 2.5 48 31 0 12 21 800 16 97 0 0 0 245 1
12 21 700 32 100 25 44 262 .04 2.42 0 300 0 12 21 700 16 97 0 0 0 244 0
12 21 600 33 100 26 43 258 .05 2.38 1 36 0 12 21 600 16 97 0 0 0 243 0
12 21 500 33 100 28 48 259 .03 2.33 0 38 0 12 21 500 17 97 0 0 0 244 0
12 21 400 36 -6999 34 57 271 .02 3.07 2 300 0 12 21 400 18 97 0 0 0 243 0
12 21 300 35 100 32 50 263 .04 3.05 1 30 0 12 21 300 19 98 0 0 0 245 0
12 21 200 36 100 34 61 262 .07 3.01 2 29 0 12 21 200 21 98 0 0 0 246 0
12 21 100 36 100 33 50 261 .1 2.94 1 29 0 12 21 100 22 99 0 0 0 245 0
12 21 0 36 100 35 67 265 .09 2.84 2 29 0 12 21 0 22 99 0 0 0 248 0
12 20 2300 39 100 32 57 264 .14 2.75 2 37 0 12 20 2300 25 100 0 0 0 249 0
12 20 2200 39 100 29 43 264 .15 2.61 1 27 0 12 20 2200 25 100 0 0 0 253 0
12 20 2100 39 100 28 47 265 .12 2.46 2 38 0 12 20 2100 25 100 0 0 0 237 0
12 20 2000 39 100 29 47 265 .17 2.34 2 28 0 12 20 2000 25 100 0 0 0 225 0
12 20 1900 37 100 29 43 265 .19 2.17 2 38 0 12 20 1900 24 100 0 0 0 225 0
12 20 1800 36 100 23 36 263 .26 1.98 2 39 0 12 20 1800 25 100 0 0 0 225 0
12 20 1700 34 100 15 22 263 .27 1.72 3 40 0 12 20 1700 25 100 0 0 0 225 1
12 20 1600 33 100 10 18 251 .19 1.45 3 43 5 12 20 1600 25 100 0 0 0 225 13
12 20 1500 33 99 7 12 254 .17 1.26 3 44 13 12 20 1500 25 100 0 0 0 225 39
12 20 1400 33 98 6 11 267 .17 1.09 2 43 16 12 20 1400 23 99 0 0 0 225 71
12 20 1300 33 98 6 11 280 .15 .92 1 40 14 12 20 1300 22 99 0 0 0 225 94
12 20 1200 33 98 5 9 259 .21 .77 0 300 12 12 20 1200 21 99 0 0 0 225 82
12 20 1100 32 98 2 5 163 .17 .56 7 31 10 12 20 1100 21 99 0 0 0 225 64
12 20 1000 32 97 2 5 97 .1 .39 6 40 11 12 20 1000 21 98 0 0 0 225 41
12 20 900 31 96 2 6 343 .06 .29 5 39 4 12 20 900 19 98 0 0 0 225 16
12 20 800 30 98 5 9 279 .07 .23 5 38 0 12 20 800 16 97 0 0 0 225 1
12 20 700 30 98 5 11 303 .09 .16 4 32 0 12 20 700 16 97 0 0 0 225 0
12 20 600 30 97 3 8 242 .04 .07 3 190 0 12 20 600 16 97 0 0 0 225 0
12 20 500 30 96 6 11 324 .03 .03 3 300 0 12 20 500 14 96 0 0 0 225 0
[/size]
How common are winds over 60 mph at the Paradise site? Not very common, typically only once or twice a year, and some years it even fails to reach that modest mark. But 67 mph is nowhere near the record winds at that site:
2014: 67 mph, 21Dec2014 (although the wind data was out from Dec2013 until 09Oct2014)
2013: 54 mph, 02Nov1013
2012: 62 mph, 22Feb2012 and 16Oct2012
2011: 62 mph, 16Nov2011
2010: 70 mph, 15Nov2010
2009: 60 mph, 22Nov2009
2008: 81 mph, 07Feb2008
2007: 105 mph, 06Jan2007, during this remarkable Cascades wind event (scroll down for the Jan 2007 event)
2006: 81 mph, 04Feb2006 and 14Dec2006
2005: 57 mph, 13Mar2005
So it's hard to say how high the winds at the Camp Muir telemetry site might have read today, in the absence of all the rime. There is not a good correlation between wind speeds at Paradise and Muir, since the weather patterns which produce strong winds at one site may produce little at the other site. This is most evident during strong easterly pass flow, when Paradise is afflicted by strong gusty easterly winds while Muir is often nearly calm and much warmer, safely tucked in a protective cocoon of upper-level high pressure far above crest-level pressure gradients.
However, during storm systems like this one, strong westerly and/or southwesterly flow aloft occurs at both the 850 mb and 700 mb levels (about 5000 and 10000 ft respectively), as seen on output from weather models. So it's almost certain that winds at the Muir telemetry site would have exceeded 100 mph during those hours, and possible that they could have matched what was recorded at the Top of Magic Mile, especially given Muir's 3000 ft elevation advantage, although the strongest flow and maximum precip was clearly directed into northern Oregon during this storm.
[size=small]
Northwest Avalanche Center Northwest Avalanche Center
Paradise, Mt Rainier National Park, Washington Camp Muir, Mt Rainier National Park, Washington
Total snow may read bushes in early season Wind gages unheated and may rime
Phone line repaired Dec 1
MM/DD Hour Temp RH Wind Wind Wind Hour Total 24 Hr Total Solar MM/DD Hour Temp RH Wind Wind Wind Wind Solar
PST F % Avg Max Dir Prec Prec Snow Snow W/m2 PST F % Min Avg Max Dir W/m2
5400' 5400' 5380' 5380' 5380' 5400' 5400' 5400' 5400' 5380' 10110' 10110' 10110' 10110' 10110' 10110' 10110'
12 21 1200 32 100 22 36 258 .03 2.65 -0 37 44 12 21 1200 15 96 0 0 0 249 131
12 21 1100 32 100 24 42 258 .03 2.62 -0 31 27 12 21 1100 15 96 0 0 0 248 83
12 21 1000 32 100 25 42 261 .05 2.59 2 36 17 12 21 1000 15 96 0 0 0 244 51
12 21 900 32 100 27 44 262 .04 2.54 48 31 7 12 21 900 16 97 0 0 0 243 21
12 21 800 32 100 26 42 262 .08 2.5 48 31 0 12 21 800 16 97 0 0 0 245 1
12 21 700 32 100 25 44 262 .04 2.42 0 300 0 12 21 700 16 97 0 0 0 244 0
12 21 600 33 100 26 43 258 .05 2.38 1 36 0 12 21 600 16 97 0 0 0 243 0
12 21 500 33 100 28 48 259 .03 2.33 0 38 0 12 21 500 17 97 0 0 0 244 0
12 21 400 36 -6999 34 57 271 .02 3.07 2 300 0 12 21 400 18 97 0 0 0 243 0
12 21 300 35 100 32 50 263 .04 3.05 1 30 0 12 21 300 19 98 0 0 0 245 0
12 21 200 36 100 34 61 262 .07 3.01 2 29 0 12 21 200 21 98 0 0 0 246 0
12 21 100 36 100 33 50 261 .1 2.94 1 29 0 12 21 100 22 99 0 0 0 245 0
12 21 0 36 100 35 67 265 .09 2.84 2 29 0 12 21 0 22 99 0 0 0 248 0
12 20 2300 39 100 32 57 264 .14 2.75 2 37 0 12 20 2300 25 100 0 0 0 249 0
12 20 2200 39 100 29 43 264 .15 2.61 1 27 0 12 20 2200 25 100 0 0 0 253 0
12 20 2100 39 100 28 47 265 .12 2.46 2 38 0 12 20 2100 25 100 0 0 0 237 0
12 20 2000 39 100 29 47 265 .17 2.34 2 28 0 12 20 2000 25 100 0 0 0 225 0
12 20 1900 37 100 29 43 265 .19 2.17 2 38 0 12 20 1900 24 100 0 0 0 225 0
12 20 1800 36 100 23 36 263 .26 1.98 2 39 0 12 20 1800 25 100 0 0 0 225 0
12 20 1700 34 100 15 22 263 .27 1.72 3 40 0 12 20 1700 25 100 0 0 0 225 1
12 20 1600 33 100 10 18 251 .19 1.45 3 43 5 12 20 1600 25 100 0 0 0 225 13
12 20 1500 33 99 7 12 254 .17 1.26 3 44 13 12 20 1500 25 100 0 0 0 225 39
12 20 1400 33 98 6 11 267 .17 1.09 2 43 16 12 20 1400 23 99 0 0 0 225 71
12 20 1300 33 98 6 11 280 .15 .92 1 40 14 12 20 1300 22 99 0 0 0 225 94
12 20 1200 33 98 5 9 259 .21 .77 0 300 12 12 20 1200 21 99 0 0 0 225 82
12 20 1100 32 98 2 5 163 .17 .56 7 31 10 12 20 1100 21 99 0 0 0 225 64
12 20 1000 32 97 2 5 97 .1 .39 6 40 11 12 20 1000 21 98 0 0 0 225 41
12 20 900 31 96 2 6 343 .06 .29 5 39 4 12 20 900 19 98 0 0 0 225 16
12 20 800 30 98 5 9 279 .07 .23 5 38 0 12 20 800 16 97 0 0 0 225 1
12 20 700 30 98 5 11 303 .09 .16 4 32 0 12 20 700 16 97 0 0 0 225 0
12 20 600 30 97 3 8 242 .04 .07 3 190 0 12 20 600 16 97 0 0 0 225 0
12 20 500 30 96 6 11 324 .03 .03 3 300 0 12 20 500 14 96 0 0 0 225 0
[/size]
How common are winds over 60 mph at the Paradise site? Not very common, typically only once or twice a year, and some years it even fails to reach that modest mark. But 67 mph is nowhere near the record winds at that site:
2014: 67 mph, 21Dec2014 (although the wind data was out from Dec2013 until 09Oct2014)
2013: 54 mph, 02Nov1013
2012: 62 mph, 22Feb2012 and 16Oct2012
2011: 62 mph, 16Nov2011
2010: 70 mph, 15Nov2010
2009: 60 mph, 22Nov2009
2008: 81 mph, 07Feb2008
2007: 105 mph, 06Jan2007, during this remarkable Cascades wind event (scroll down for the Jan 2007 event)
2006: 81 mph, 04Feb2006 and 14Dec2006
2005: 57 mph, 13Mar2005
So it's hard to say how high the winds at the Camp Muir telemetry site might have read today, in the absence of all the rime. There is not a good correlation between wind speeds at Paradise and Muir, since the weather patterns which produce strong winds at one site may produce little at the other site. This is most evident during strong easterly pass flow, when Paradise is afflicted by strong gusty easterly winds while Muir is often nearly calm and much warmer, safely tucked in a protective cocoon of upper-level high pressure far above crest-level pressure gradients.
However, during storm systems like this one, strong westerly and/or southwesterly flow aloft occurs at both the 850 mb and 700 mb levels (about 5000 and 10000 ft respectively), as seen on output from weather models. So it's almost certain that winds at the Muir telemetry site would have exceeded 100 mph during those hours, and possible that they could have matched what was recorded at the Top of Magic Mile, especially given Muir's 3000 ft elevation advantage, although the strongest flow and maximum precip was clearly directed into northern Oregon during this storm.
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- Andrew Carey
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21 Dec 2014 16:04 #223294
by Andrew Carey
Replied by Andrew Carey on topic Re: Extreme high winds at Mt Hood Timberline: 136 mph!
The Jan 2007 100+ mph wind event was scary. It was probably 100 mph here at my cabin, just outside the Nisqually Entrance. Sounded like passenger jets passing low over the roof. Very large trees breaking and crashing down. It took us over an hour and a half to walk around the neighborhood with all the large trees across the roads. Needless to say, we were without electricity for quite a while. An all this followed the massive rainfall and flood of the previous November--18 inches of rain in 36 hrs and a peak flow of the Nisqually at National (just west of Ashford) of over 21,000 cfs (an all-recorded-67-yr-historic -record and compared to an average of less than 1,000 cfs).
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