Blizzard warnings in Portland? No, but it sure looked that way
News of an impeding wind event has been prevalent for a few days, but a blizzard?
We had reports from several people around the Portland area that their cell phones and computers chirped to life Sunday afternoon with alerts of a blizzard warning issued for their area.
The blizzard warning is real, but unless you live in the mountains, it was not for "their area."
The National Weather Service issued a very rare blizzard warning for the central Cascades and Olympics from 6 p.m. Sunday through 6 p.m Monday. It's a very serious situation and that urgent level of weather warning meets criteria for alerts to get sent out.
However, many times those alerts are county-based. It works well in the Midwest and South when, for example, a tornado warning or flash flood warning issued for a county requires everyone in the county to take note.
But here, our counties span metro areas and mountains areas. Multnomah County, for example, stretches east into the Mount Hood foothills. So when this blizzard warning was issued for the Multnomah County portion of the Cascades, it likely got sent out across the entire county.
It was a similar situation in Seattle where residents across King County got the warning even though it didn't apply for many of their areas.
Blizzard warnings are issued when heavy snow is expected in combination with winds over 35 mph.
I was hoping Dairy Queen hacked the NWS.
Why does it always seem as if the more the media hypes a predicted weather event, the less likely it is to happen? Conversely, it seems that the worst weather events come as a surprise.
 @Altazi you are right with that like the high winds we got today no mention of this event and no alerts now were getting pored on by the rain
Update, were starting to Freeze right now here in Washington State you might be driving on an ice rink soon
Well, the forecasters are danged if they do and danged if they don't. If they don't warn us enough, they get flak, if they warn us of worse weather than really happens, they get flak. They're just forecasters trying to do their job. And the reason Portlanders get freaked when it snows is because it immediately gets icy. This isn't North Dakota after all, where it's nice and flat, these hills get pretty "dicey when it's icey."
Power just came back on in Sandy.
I got one of these stupid texts.
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I thought it was a joke.
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I have since setup my device to no longer get these kinds of warnings.
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It is only going to get better and better the closer we get to 3:12am December 21, 2012. You know, end of the Mayan calender, end of the world, the 4 horsemen of the apocalypse, etc., etc. Gotta keep the people stirred up.
I'll bring the beer if you'll get the popcorn (extra butter, please!) Â I'm lookin' for front-row seats to watch the fun begin on the 21st! Â This'll be more fun than waiting up all night for Santa to arrive on the roof!
Keep in mind that Dave, Rhonda, Mary and the Joes are weather FORECASTERS! When they break out the VIPIR, and it looks bad, they're gonna forecast from the view of worst case scenario. I'd prefer to have a storm like this, with the forecast of pounding winds be wrong, then a forecast that said we'd get a light breeze then get pounded unexpectedly. Who knows; maybe the storm was a big one then lost a lot of its juice coming through the coast range.Â
You know, come to think about it, if it wasn't for the usual winter storms that hit the area and the news stations whipping nothing into a major event/feeding frenzy, then you would only have about a 5 minute newscast.
I spent two winters in Alaska, one up at Prudoe. People down here don't know what a real blizzard is except the ones you get at DQ and experiencing a real whiteout is kinda neat. Trouble is, when we do get a little snow on the roads and they ice up, drivers do stupid things like follow way to close and don't watch their speed. I drove a shuttle bus for Mt. Hood Meadows for two winters and I saw a lot of invincible 4 Wheel drive rigs stuck in a snow bank on the access road and a lot of idiots trying to put chains on, on an uphill grade because they thought they had good enough traction to make it up to the parking lot. :)
@Bdou I remember driving in whiteout conditions going over Wolf Creek Pass in Colo. I was not kinda neat, or any kind of neat. It was downright terrifying having it come in on top of you and all you can do is keep moving. And with all due respect to Portland weather and the drivers, most of them have not lived in Alaska or any other state that lives with snow conditions for months. Most of them are just trying to get from point a to point b safely.....the idiots will always be idiots and we just have to be kind to show compassion (because they don't know they're idiots).
 @Bdou I like the blizzards at DQ!
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You are so correct when it comes to blizzards. But experiencing a complete white-out while driving is not kinda neat. It's downright scary and puts the fear of God in you. It's the ice storms around here that people need to really be mindful of, as well as the crazy drivers who think that the little bit of white stuff is like rain, and you can drive "as normal" on it.Â
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People need to respect the weather elements and learn how to properly drive.Â
Boy the way K2 had it, it sounded like the end of the world, but I guess we'uns on the westside dodged the bullet. Here in Hillsborito the wind blew a little and it rained a little but nothing to write home about.
Gosh. Â Apparently none of these people ever lived in Troutdale. Â Certainly not what we would call a blizzard here. Â 35 mph winds are frequent in the winter. Snow not so much lately. Â
That isn't the sky falling, it is. Lots of water. With some wind. ..dogon it I am unable to use the reply button using Droid Icecream Sandwich. This stinks.
Why do people think the sky is falling when it snows here? It's really funny to watch.
It ain't winter until the 21st! Â This is an autumn blast!
Were up at 46 now, I think we will hit 50 soon. these winds are strong and powerful. Power hasn't flickered .
transmitting live.. you might be able to hear the wind.
https://new.livestream.com/accounts/41477/events/1687068/player_pop_up
I got one on my verizon iPhone and I live in Polk co. I had no idea what the hell was going on at first cause no alerts like that have ever popped up on my phone and I've only had it a few months.
 @AMessOfADreamer I bet this is the new emergency texting system that has been implemented I think it is kind of cool, but I do understand why it was issued, traveling up in the mountains in this weather..Look I am nuts..But I sure in hell am not insane.
 @AMessOfADreamer does you phone have a built in weather app?
@lee986321 @AMessOfADreamer IPhone's have a built in weather app.I'm sure all carriers issued the alert.It was interesting because I've never heard that alert on my phone before.
 @AMessOfADreamer if not then it is the emergency texting system. KATU might be able to verify this..I hope they check on it cause if so it is kind of cool, right now we have exceedingly high winds in which the Tablet I have stuck against the window can pick it up
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Is it t-mobile only or who?
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erg, News alerts and models are a mess
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in other news....other stuff didnt happen.
 @Pixsure Syence  Well, yeah . . . if you discount the 957th interview of an "eye-witness" to a mall shooting somewhere in the greater Portland area . . . . . . for the 2,000th time!
@Gravity Works! Yes , i discounted that.Â
Looks like blizzard warning aint all that bad...
RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!!!!!! gawd.Â
Fake blizzard warning to all phones. Next will be politicians issuing commands. I'd settle for a couple strippers and some legal weed.
uhhhh, news flash.... disregard the last news flash, duh
Damn, I just bought $200 in groceries to make it through the winter blast 2012. Oh wait,.... I needed them anyway....
OMG it's going to snow somewhere! Â PANIC!