U.S. Congresswoman Maxine Dexter, M.D., a Democrat, held a "telephone town hall" a few days ago.

With 12,000 people.

In Oregon.

The district she represents includes most of the east side of Portland and reaches into Gresham. There is a large minority population here, and I imagine they are up in arms about what is going on at the federal level.

She's holding an in-person town hall next Sunday, April 6th at 3:30 pm at Parkrose Middle School in Portland. I wonder if the turnout will equal or surpass the telephone version.

Air pressure is dropping like a rock since noon. It's 85F now, down from a peak of 90.5F, with 41% humidity. The sky, once clear, is clouding up. Portland will experience a thunderstorm very soon.

The predicted high was 78F. At 13:30 it's 89.4F, per the nearest Weather Underground station.

Well. My strategy of not setting up the A/C because it will rain for a week with temps in the 50's is sorely tested today. So far, it's comfortable. I suspect it's a bit cooler than 89 on this street. The heat of the day usually happens in a few hours. Oh, joy.

I may migrate to the basement before this day is done.

You might recall me mentioning we would have a 70F and a 77F this week. Today was the 70F. It hit 85.5F, according to the nearest Weather Underground station. Tomorrow is now predicted to be "about the same" as today.

Local trees are slathering on their suntan lotion.

We're getting pelted by tiny hailstones. Doesn't look like graupel.

A branch of a neighbor's birch broke off in the windstorm. It's about 50 feet long and laying across their lawn. The tree looks a bit shredded. It will make a lovely home for mushrooms.

Ah, this is the Portland I remember! It rained all day, then stopped before sunset. The clouds broke enough to shine reflected pastel colors before the sun finally sets, the clouds reconnect, and the rain starts again. The temperature just dropped several degrees in a few minutes, per the nearest Weather Underground station.

It's like springtime in February.

I took a shower. I had to get the news muck off of me.

Now I have a chirping smoke detector. I was steaming before the shower. Clearly, there's too much humidity in here.

Meanwhile, I heard something so loud, I thought either gardeners were doing something or I had left a motor running. Did the washing machine spontaneously start a spin cycle?

Nope. It poured down rain, and that roar was the sound of a gutter draining the flood from the roof.

RUMBLERUMBLERUMBLE What is going on?

A 4X4 loudly and somewhat rapidly went up the hill. Kids were having a snowball fight in the street. One of the boys tossed a snowball in the direction of the truck bed. After it passed, a girl on the other side of the street prepared a fresh one.

RUMBLERUMBLERUMBLE Now what?

A USPS van, chains on, slowly made its way up the hill to a group mailbox. Kids were, by then, sledding. Nobody paid much attention to the USPS van. It eventually made it to its destination without a single snowball hurled in its direction.

There was no thaw. People are urged to stay off the roads. If you're at work, consider leaving your car to take public transportation, if you can.

Or spending the night. Humans can survive a long time on the contents of a vending machine or two.

If someone already left work, did they leave meals in the fridge?

Contact me for other team building ideas!

The latest forecast from the people without an agency. Or is it still there? Hard to tell. Nazis are liars.

Issued: 1:17 PM Feb. 13, 2025 – National Weather Service

...WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 AM PST FRIDAY...

* WHAT...Heavy mixed precipitation. Total snow and sleet
accumulations of 1-3 inches and ice accumulations around a tenth
of an inch. Winds gusting as high as 45 mph.

* WHERE...Portland Metro Lowlands, Greater Vancouver Metro, and
Portland West Hills and Chehalem Mountain.

* WHEN...Until 10 AM PST Friday.

* IMPACTS...Roads, and especially bridges and overpasses, will
likely become slick and hazardous. Significant ice accumulation on
power lines and tree limbs may cause power outages.

* ADDITIONAL DETAILS...Precipitation will transition over to
primarily freezing rain this afternoon. The Thursday evening
commute will be affected. Due to areas of freezing rain and
elevated winds, power outages are possible.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

Consider postponing travel until weather conditions improve.

If you must travel, be sure to slow down and allow extra time.

If you are using a generator, be sure to keep it outdoors and away
from windows and vents.

Be aware that walking surfaces may be slick. Walk with extra care.

Backcountry recreation is not advised.

5 hours ago it was 26F, "feels like" 14. The low was supposed to be 27F. Close? It's now 24F.

A couple of hours ago, a tiny bit of graupel blew in the wind. Now? Welcome to the blizzard of '25.

It's white on ice out there. Drive like you're on an ice rink, because you are. No sudden movements. Accelerate slowly. Brake wwwwwwwwaaaaaaaayyyyyy sooner than usual. If your car is old, the brakes might not all pull with the same force, so expect rotation. To sum this all up, and so much more that I have experienced, stay where you are, and make food delivery service people risk life and limb to bring you a cheeseburger.

We're going to lose power tomorrow, aren't we, PGE? GET THE CREWS TO THE EAST SIDE NOW! Thank you. Now for a word from PBOT:

(Feb. 12, 2025) The Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) advises the traveling public to prepare for freezing temperatures and potential snow and freezing rain starting Thursday morning and continuing through Friday morning. Continued cold temperatures lingering on Friday could make for continued icy conditions, especially in areas at high elevation or east of I-205.

Use extreme caution traveling Thursday morning. Streets and sidewalks will likely be frozen and slick, creating hazardous conditions for all travelers. If possible, delay travel until conditions are safer or consider using public transit. People with the option to work remotely are encouraged to do so.

PBOT has been placing anti-icer on Portland streets nightly, including 2,000 gallons of liquid anti-icer last night so they're ready for the potential for snow during the Thursday morning commute.
Forecast and timing

The National Weather Service has advised PBOT that a wintry precipitation mix of snow and freezing rain will arrive to Portland on Thursday morning, potentially impacting the commute.

Freezing rain could make surfaces such as sidewalks, streets, and bridges slick and dangerous. Ice also adds weight to trees, which can cause trees or limbs to fall and cause power outages.

Strong easterly winds are also forecast for Wednesday and Thursday, with the highest impacts in East Portland and other areas closer to the Columbia River Gorge.

The forecast has some uncertainty. In the days and hours before a winter storm, forecasts often change. If you are traveling tomorrow morning, adjust your plans to conditions you see in real-time.

This won't middle well.

From PBOT:

"Traffic Advisory:
Emergency repairs to storm inlet at SE 82nd Avenue and Yamhill Street

(Feb. 11, 2025) The Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) advises the traveling public that sewer repair crews are responding to a broken storm inlet on the southwest corner of SE 82nd Avenue and Yamhill Street.

The southbound curbside lane of SE 82nd Avenue at Yamhill Street will be closed while crews make repairs. It will remain closed for at least one week to allow concrete forms to be built and poured.

The traveling public is advised to expect delays while repairs are being made. We ask the public to travel cautiously, observe all lane closures and directions by reader boards and flaggers, and use alternate routes if possible.

This work is weather-dependent, and the schedule may change."

Gosh! I sure hope it doesn't rain or snow!

37° | 24° Sunny
40° | 29° Mostly Sunny/Wind
32° | 29° PM Snow Showers/Wind
40° | 34° AM Snow
44° | 39° PM Showers
50° | 43° Rain
49° | 42° Rain
52° | 42° Cloudy
50° | 39° Showers
52° | 38° Partly Cloudy

Portland's TriMet will give free rides to warming centers during tonight's declared emergency. Just tell the driver that's where you are headed.

We're forecast to drop to 25F here, but we're also in the part of the area predicted to be among the coldest, so 25 might be optimistic.

It's snowing. Not like a blizzard. More like flour on a surface before kneading dough.

Portland winter survival tips:

Tip 1: Make sure you have several days worth of food.

Tip 2: Identify the location of your crampons.

Tip 3: Bundle up.

We're getting snow!

There are 2 things one must assume are understatements: when a meteorologist says the temperature will be [some number] during a heatwave with an east wind [add 5-10 F], and when one estimates how much snow we'll get.

We're going down to, at best, 30F tonight. There are already calls for help because of freezing. We have cold for a few days, then rain, which will warm the temps a bit, then potential snow starting roughly a week from now, according to the 10-day.

Most Portlanders like snow, usually. We don't like sleet with wind. People living on the street or in their cars like neither. Right now, it's forecast to mostly be a rain event upcoming. That far out, it might be a lot more snowy than predicted today.

BOOM

BOOMBOOM

[longer pause]

I'm thinking it's the Washington branch of Trump's Jan. 6th mob celebrating. They show up in Portland to raise hell and make the city look bad.

Boom

BOOMBOOM

If we're shooting at each other, it would be a good idea powpowpow pow ppppow to stop soon before someone gets hurt.