December 2020 Forecasts and Discussions

[Weather101]

I did it back on the first cold weekend in October and drove on snow the next day, though it was in the parking lot at Seymour.

Love it. I miss snowboarding. I hope to get up this year even with Covid.

[Bonovox]

Grasping at straws here, but 12z GEM could be worse. Heights building over the Aleutians. Need those to build further east into Alaska to dislodge some of that cold. SE ridge also building.

Ugh, I tried.

[stuffradio]

I have had snow tires on since 2016, literally. I haven't switched them over haha. That year in November around Black Friday I got a new set from Costco because I thought it was going to be snowy. I was very glad I got them! The summer before this one, one of the tires popped for some reason. The guy at Costco asked me when I got them because there was barely any wear on it. Haha

[AbbyJr]

December 1990 and 2008 mentioned on the American forums as analogs for this winter.

That said, let's do a poll here. Which of the following would you prefer:

A) 2008/09 redux

B) 1990/91 redux

[Michael1]

December 1990 and 2008 mentioned on the American forums as analogs for this winter.

That said, let's do a poll here. Which of the following would you prefer:

A) 2008/09 redux

B) 1990/91 redux

A-it was longer and colder, here at least

[South Island]

December 1990 and 2008 mentioned on the American forums as analogs for this winter.

That said, let's do a poll here. Which of the following would you prefer:

A) 2008/09 redux

B) 1990/91 redux

Either would be good but I think I would go with 90 as there were two very intense arctic outbreaks 10 days apart and then another nice round of snowfall around Jan 10. The intensity of cold was better in 90 than 08.

[wetcoast91]

Vote for 1999/00 because I think Jesse and Tim will finally duel.

[Catnip]

December 1990 and 2008 mentioned on the American forums as analogs for this winter.

That said, let's do a poll here. Which of the following would you prefer:

A) 2008/09 redux

B) 1990/91 redux

Jan 1950... oh sorry not on the poll but it's always being tossed around there

Vote for A - This area did very well

[Weather101]

December 1990 and 2008 mentioned on the American forums as analogs for this winter.

That said, let's do a poll here. Which of the following would you prefer:

A) 2008/09 redux

B) 1990/91 redux

That forum

[Rubus_Leucodermis]

December 1990 and 2008 mentioned on the American forums as analogs for this winter.

That said, let's do a poll here. Which of the following would you prefer:

A) 2008/09 redux

B) 1990/91 redux

Whichever one was snowier at KBLI. (Since I wasn’t living here at the time, I don’t know which.)

[AbbyJr]

Either would be good but I think I would go with 90 as there were two very intense arctic outbreaks 10 days apart and then another nice round of snowfall around Jan 10. The intensity of cold was better in 90 than 08.

I'd go with 1990/91 as well.

Two top tier arctic outbreaks with a prolonged outflow induced windstorm on the 18th and 19th of December.

Winds gusted 102 km/h on the 18th and then a 115 km/h gust was recorded on the 19th with temperatures dipping down to around -8 and -9C. Wind chills were in the -20's. After it slightly warmed up for a couple days, another direct discharge of arctic air came down and outflow winds once again roared with a 96 km/h gust recorded on the 28th and temperatures dropping back down to around -9C. A couple days later, a massive snowstorm hit dropping 43.8 cm on Abbotsford with the heaviest snow falling when they temperature was around -7 and -8C. Another brief warmup but then another reload of arctic air came in early January with another significant snow event. 29.2 cm fell on January 7th and another 15.4 cm fell on the 8th. The snow changed to freezing rain on the evening of the 8th and temperatures gradually warmed. This would end the winter craziness.

2008/09 may have been more significant for other areas north of the Fraser but for Abbotsford, 1990/91 was pretty insane.

Unfortunately, I was not born until July 1991 so I missed it.

[Rubus_Leucodermis]

I'd go with 1990/91 as well.

Two top tier arctic outbreaks with a prolonged outflow induced windstorm on the 18th and 19th of December.

Winds gusted 102 km/h on the 18th and then a 115 km/h gust was recorded on the 19th with temperatures dipping down to around -8 and -9C. Wind chills were in the -20's. After it slightly warmed up for a couple days, another direct discharge of arctic air came down and outflow winds once again roared with a 96 km/h gust recorded on the 28th and temperatures dropping back down to around -9C. A couple days later, a massive snowstorm hit dropping 43.8 cm on Abbotsford with the heaviest snow falling when they temperature was around -7 and -8C. Another brief warmup but then another reload of arctic air came in early January with another significant snow event. 29.2 cm fell on January 7th and another 15.4 cm fell on the 8th.

The snow changed to freezing rain on the evening of the 8th and temperatures gradually warmed. This would end the winter craziness.

My experience with 1990 was in Seattle, where it was both frigid and crazy snowy. But most of that snow came as part of a Puget Sound convergence zone event. Interesting to hear that the Lower Mainland got to see significant snow during that event (though from different systems) as well.

I had recently moved to Seattle from the Rockies, and thought that I'd be leaving snowfalls and temperatures like that behind. 1990 was certainly a surprise! Then I kept expecting repeats in subsequent winters, only to gradually realize how unusual the event in 1990 was.

[AbbyJr]

My experience with 1990 was in Seattle, where it was both frigid and crazy snowy. But most of that snow came as part of a Puget Sound convergence zone event. Interesting to hear that the Lower Mainland got to see significant snow during that event (though from different systems) as well.

I had recently moved to Seattle from the Rockies, and thought that I'd be leaving snowfalls and temperatures like that behind. 1990 was certainly a surprise! Then I kept expecting repeats in subsequent winters, only to gradually realize how unusual the event in 1990 was.

Yeah winters like 1990/91 and 2008/09 are sadly rare around here.

[stuffradio]

I was too young to remember much of late 80's/early 90s winters, but from what I remember, I would get ~3 feet of snow on the ground for some winters or at least 2 feet and I would remember getting hard freezes/frosts in early October in the 90s and standing outside waiting for the school bus.

[hawk2]

I was too young to remember much of late 80's/early 90s winters, but from what I remember, I would get ~3 feet of snow on the ground for some winters or at least 2 feet and I would remember getting hard freezes/frosts in early October in the 90s and standing outside waiting for the school bus.

Wow. Where were you living...same house?