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    Why Did Seattle Get All This Snow?

    LiveScience.com – Wed, Jan 18, 2012

    A "perfect recipe" for snow hit the Pacific Northwest today, one meteorologist said, bringing nearly a winter's worth of snow to Seattle in a matter of hours.

    Seattle — not exactly the snowiest place on Earth — has turned completely white from the flakes. The metro region got slammed with 4 to 8 inches (10 to 20 centimeters) today (Jan. 18). Schools were closed and flights were canceled throughout the region as Seattle battled whiteout conditions — a forceful departure from the wimpy winter the country has had so far this year. At Sea-Tac Airport, 4 inches (10 cm) of snow has fallen, nearly the total amount of snow that falls in an average winter here. Seattle's snow will continue into tomorrow (Jan.19), according to the National Weather Service. But so far, the storm has dumped the most snow south of Seattle.

    Cold air blowing south from Alaska — where snow records have fallen recently — has combined with a low-pressure system blowing all the way in from the Philippines to create eye-popping snowfall.

    "It was just a perfect recipe to get heavy snow in Seattle and especially south of Seattle," said Dave Samuhel, a meteorologist with AccuWeather.com.

    Earlier in the week, the moisture-laden low-pressure system appeared to be heading right for Seattle, but "the cold air kind of deflected it to the south of Seattle," Samuhel told OurAmazingPlanet.

    In Olympia, 13 inches (10 cm) of snow has fallen, which is 1.2 inches (3 cm) shy of their one-day record. Near Centralia, 23 inches (58 cm) of snow has been reported.

    "That's very impressive for down there," Samuhel said.

    If 7.6 inches (19 cm) falls in Seattle, it would be the city's snowiest day since 1985. Seattle's average winter snowfall total from 1981 to 2010 is 5.9 inches (15 cm), according to the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Chicago gets 37.7 inches (96 cm) and New York City (where snow has been a no-show this year) gets 26.7 inches (68 cm) in an average winter.

    Seattle's snowiest day since record keeping began was Feb. 1, 1916, when 21.5 inches (55 cm) fell.

    You can follow OurAmazingPlanet staff writer Brett Israel on Twitter: @btisrael. Follow OurAmazingPlanet for the latest in Earth science and exploration news on Twitter @OAPlanet and on Facebook.

     
    • grouchyoldfart
      grouchyoldfart  •  Las Vegas, Nevada  •  4 mths ago
      Why Did Seattle Get All This Snow?.......Hmmmm... lets see... cold + moisture=snow..... Duh....you #$%$
      • greg
        greg 4 mths ago
        shhhhhhhhhh- don't give the liberals the formula, they will be confused!!!!!!!!!
      • Jethro
        Jethro 4 mths ago
        Go fek yourself greg.
      • Michael
        Michael 4 mths ago
        The wizards of smart are on patrol.
    • Albert
      Albert  •  Cleveland, Ohio  •  4 mths ago
      DAH !!! ITS WINTER
      • Rex H
        Rex H 4 mths ago
        Something like this has NEVER happened in all of history!!!! We're all gonna die!!!!!
    • Bill
      Bill  •  4 mths ago
      because they are close to the 49th parallel, no secret here, read the Lewis and Clark journals for how hard a winter they had at Fort Clatsop.
      • J.
        J. 4 mths ago
        You must have a very lonely life.
      • Smokes
        Smokes 4 mths ago
        How can we blame SUVs and Weed Whackers for teh snow Lewis and Clark saw?
      • Patriot
        Patriot 4 mths ago
        A fellow Corps of Discovery person! Good comparison!!!!! Huzzah!!
    • D T
      D T  •  Tucker, Georgia  •  4 mths ago
      According to the national weather service, Seattle has received 7 inches of snow (or more) 10 times since 1940, or about once every 7-8 years. Give Alaska has received over 300 inches so far this year, I'm sure Seattle will be happy with 7 inches.
      • Doug
        Doug 4 mths ago
        I lived in Anchorage for two winters. One time we received about a foot of snow every night for five nights straight.
      • J.
        J. 4 mths ago
        Any woman would.
    • 1540
      1540  •  4 mths ago
      Because it snowed.
    • ENDO-
      ENDO-  •  4 mths ago
      Because it's winter!.. Geesh, what a dumb question.
    • Anderson
      Anderson  •  Aberdeen, Washington  •  4 mths ago
      aint so bad, this is normal to get a bit of snow here, and its been a very mild winter thus far. we are lucky it held off as long as it did. p.s. i will take this over the last few years of horrific wind storms and massive flooding that we have had in the past
    • Jim
      Jim  •  Richardson, Texas  •  4 mths ago
      I seem to remember a film that showed New York locked in a glacier because of global warming. I'm pretty sure it was a documentary (lol). It would be reasonable to think the @Jacksdad's weedwacker could have caused a repeat on the west coast. Tell them to wait the storm out in the library. They can burn the books to keep warm. Start with the science books.
    • Bosoxinny
      Bosoxinny  •  4 mths ago
      I would take snow over rain ANY day!
      • Paul
        Paul 4 mths ago
        especially frozen snow!!
      • Kathie
        Kathie 4 mths ago
        You wouldn't if YOU had to shovel it!
      • Gladys Kravitz
        Gladys Kravitz 4 mths ago
        If it's a nice powdery snow, I am with you 100%. If it is heavy slushy snow, no way.
    • MtApo911
      MtApo911  •  Seattle, Washington  •  4 mths ago
      "has combined with a low-pressure system blowing all the way in from the Philippines to create eye-popping snowfall", Pacman packs a punch!
    • jamesj
      jamesj  •  4 mths ago
      Duh,It's snowing in the northwest in January,are you crazy.
    • AUGUSTUS MCCRAE
      AUGUSTUS MCCRAE  •  4 mths ago
      so since it happens frequently, why do you think this is a big deal?
    • NO MORE PC BS
      NO MORE PC BS  •  4 mths ago
      Be sure to tune in for next weeks story. " Why Florida is so effing hot in August" I'm sure Yahoo's team of crack reporters will dig up the truth...
    • Mutt
      Mutt  •  4 mths ago
      All what snow?
    • Jacksdad
      Jacksdad  •  4 mths ago
      Anyone blame my weed wacker yet?
    • bill
      bill  •  4 mths ago
      #$%$ happins
    • Glenx
      Glenx  •  4 mths ago
      Take note Meteoroligists ,,,tempeuratures below 32 degrees plus moisture equal snow ,Now that wasn't hard was it ?
    • hookedonharley
      hookedonharley  •  4 mths ago
      1.) Nobody else claimed it?
      2.) They drew the short straw?
      3.) The snow refused to fall in California without EPA approval?
      4.) The snow was tired and Seattle was close.
      5.) How do you know it wasn't shoved from behind?
    • Ken D
      Ken D  •  Topeka, Kansas  •  4 mths ago
      OMG!!! I thought 48 inches in 6 hours on Valentine's Day, 2996 was a royal pain when living in upstate New York. It shut everything down for at least 2 hours!
    • Tom
      Tom  •  Mattawan, Michigan  •  4 mths ago
      I didn't think anyone in Seattle knew what seven inches was.
     Post a comment
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