NOUS46 KPQR 172121 PNSPQR PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PORTLAND OR 120 PM PST TUE JAN 17 2006 ...2005 PORTLAND YEAR IN REVIEW... FOR THE YEAR OF 2005...PORTLAND EXPERIENCED SLIGHTLY ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES AND NEAR NORMAL PRECIPITATION. ALTHOUGH THE LONG TERM RECORD WILL SHOW A NEAR NORMAL YEAR...2005 WAS CHARACTERIZED BY LONG STRETCHES OF PERSISTENT WEATHER REGIMES. WEAK EL NINO CONDITIONS ACROSS THE TROPICAL PACIFIC WANED EARLY IN 2005 AND WAS REPLACED BY NEUTRAL CONDITIONS. NEAR NORMAL TROPICAL PACIFIC SEA SURFACE TEMPERATURES PERSISTED LATE INTO THE YEAR BEFORE SLIGHTLY COOLER THAN NORMAL TEMPERATURES BEGAN TO APPEAR. ...NOTABLE WEATHER EVENTS... THE WEATHER OF JANUARY 2005 BEGAN THE YEAR MUCH LIKE THE MONTH OF JANUARY 2004 BEGAN THAT YEAR...WITH SNOW AND ICE. UNLIKE JANUARY 2004...THE 2005 SNOW AND ICE EVENT WAS MUCH SHORTER IN DURATION...AND PROBABLY MOST IMPORTANTLY...OCCURRED OVER THE LONG MARTIN LUTHER KING JR HOLIDAY WEEKEND. THIS LIMITED THE IMPACT ON THE CITY...HOWEVER CLOSE TO 225 FLIGHTS FROM PDX WERE CANCELLED...AND NEARLY 5000 CUSTOMERS LOST POWER IN THE METRO AREA. AND STRANGELY ENOUGH...THIS SNOW AND ICE EVENT WAS ENDED BY A SURGE OF WARM AIR THAT PRODUCED AN ALL-TIME JANUARY HIGH TEMPERATURE RECORD ON JANUARY 18TH. OUTSIDE OF THIS SNOW AND ICE EVENT...PRECIPITATION REMAINED AT A PREMIUM THROUGH FEBRUARY. THROUGH THE END OF FEBRUARY...THE WATER YEAR PRECIPITATION TOTAL WAS THE 3RD DRIEST RECORDED IN PORTLAND...AND WAS NEARLY HALF THE TOTAL THAT SHOULD BE EXPECTED UP TO THAT POINT. PLANS FOR RESTRICTED WATER USAGE AND THE IMPENDING FIRE SEASON WERE CONSTRUCTED EARLY IN THE SPRING...BUT THEN THE SPRING RAIN ARRIVED. WITH ABOVE NORMAL PRECIPITATION FROM MARCH THROUGH JUNE...MUCH OF THE CONCERN OVER SUMMER WATER SUPPLY AND A DANGEROUS FIRE SEASON WAS ALL BUT WASHED AWAY. THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY ACROSS THE NORTHERN WILLAMETTE VALLEY WAS AT A RELATIVE MINIMUM DURING 2005. THE PORTLAND SUBURBS IN CLACKAMAS COUNTY DID EXPERIENCE SOME HIGH WIND GUSTS FROM THUNDERSTORMS ON APRIL 22ND AND MAY 18TH. THE SUMMER SEASON WAS VERY PLEASANT FOR NORTHWEST OREGON AND SOUTHWEST WASHINGTON. ALTHOUGH THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE FOR BOTH JULY AND AUGUST WAS ABOVE NORMAL...THE HIGH TEMPERATURE NEVER REACHED 100 DEGREES IN THE SUMMER OF 2005. THIS IS THE FIRST SUMMER SINCE 2001 THAT THE TEMPERATURE HAS NOT REACHED 100 DEGREES. AFTER A VERY QUIET FALL SEASON...THE RAINS OF WINTER ARRIVED IN THE END OF NOVEMBER. AFTER A VERY COLD DRY PERIOD IN THE BEGINNING OF DECEMBER WHICH YIELDED 14 STRAIGHT DAYS WITHOUT PRECIPITATION... PORTLAND WAS THRUST BACK INTO WINTRY CONDITIONS ON DECEMBER 18TH WITH 1 TO 2 INCHES OF SNOW MEASURED ACROSS THE METRO AREA. THE SNOW DID NOT LAST LONG AS VERY WET AND WARM CONDITIONS TOOK HOLD OF THE AREA BY THE END OF THE YEAR. THIS WARM AND WET WEATHER PATTERN WOULD PERSIST INTO 2006 CREATING WIDESPREAD FLOODING ACROSS THE AREA. ...RECORDS SET IN 2005... .HIGH TEMPERATURES... .LOW TEMPERATURES... .PRECIPITATION... JANUARY 18TH - 66* NONE MARCH 26TH - 1.19 MARCH 7TH - 69 MARCH 27TH - 1.17 MARCH 8TH - 72 MAY 9TH - 0.68 MARCH 9TH - 70 MAY 18TH - 0.59 MARCH 10TH - 74 JUNE 16TH - 0.62 MARCH 11TH - 75 JULY 22ND - 0.12 MAY 27TH - 95 SEPTEMBER 30TH - 1.68 DECEMBER 28TH - 0.94 * 66 DEGREES ON JANUARY 18TH IS THE WARMEST JANUARY DAY ON RECORD =================================================================== ...PRELIMINARY CLIMATE INFORMATION FOR PORTLAND AIRPORT 2005... ...TEMPERATURE DATA... AVG AVG AVG DEPARTURE TEMPERATURE MONTH HIGH LOW MEAN FROM NORMAL HIGHEST/LOWEST REMARKS JAN 47.9 35.6 41.7 +1.8 66 25 T SNOW 8TH&10TH FEB 53.8 33.2 43.5 +0.4 65 24 MAR 60.1 39.8 50.0 +2.8 75 34 APR 60.3 44.2 52.3 +1.1 75 37 MAY 68.5 51.8 60.1 +3.0 95 42 1ST WARMEST AVG MIN JUN 70.3 53.7 62.0 -0.7 83 47 JUL 81.5 59.1 70.3 +2.2 93 55 AUG 83.3 58.1 70.7 +2.2 96 51 SEP 73.5 51.5 62.5 -1.1 85 41 OCT 62.7 49.9 56.3 +2.0 73 38 3RD WARMEST AVG MIN NOV 51.0 37.1 44.0 -1.8 60 28 DEC 44.2 35.3 39.8 -0.4 62 24 1.2 INCH SNOW 18TH ANNUAL 63.1 45.8 54.5 +1.0 96 24 WARMEST HIGH TEMPERATURE... 96 ON AUG 4TH COLDEST LOW TEMPERATURE... 24 ON FEB 15TH AND DEC 16TH LAST SPRING FROST DAY... FEB 23RD FIRST FALL FROST DAY... NOV 20TH ...RAINFALL DATA... TOTAL NORMAL DEPARTURE MONTH PRECIP PRECIP FROM NORMAL REMARKS JAN 1.94 5.07 -3.13 7TH DRIEST FEB 1.30 4.18 -2.88 5TH DRIEST MAR 3.77 3.71 +0.06 APR 3.49 2.64 +0.85 MAY 4.34 2.38 +1.96 4TH WETTEST JUN 2.21 1.59 +0.62 JUL 0.41 0.72 -0.31 AUG 1.05 0.93 +0.12 SEP 1.71 1.65 +0.06 OCT 3.40 2.88 +0.52 NOV 4.98 5.61 -0.63 DEC 7.52 5.71 +1.81 ANNUAL 36.12 37.07 -0.95 WATER YEAR 2004-2005 29.87 -7.20 8TH DRIEST WATER YEAR ...WIND DATA... STRONGEST WIND GUST...52 MPH FROM THE EAST ON DEC 17TH FOR MORE CLIMATE INFORMATION...VISIT OUR WEBSITE AT WWW.WRH.NOAA.GOV/CLIMATE/INDEX.PHP?WFO=PQR $$