Portland's New Reality? (Harbor, Bay City, Adrian: power lines, houses, living)

[Tim Rankin]

Some say that climate change reshuffles the deck and deals out a whole new set of cards...is this the "new reality" for Portland and the pacific northwest?

PORTLAND, Oregon (AP) -- Hurricane-force winds and heavy rain battered the Northwest for a second day Monday, killing at least two people and leaving entire communities dark and isolated as the storms blocked roads with trees, power lines, high water and mud.





Wind gusts of more than 100 mph were reported along the Oregon coast, with the highest reading at 129 mph at Bay City, the Weather Service said. Gusts hit 81 mph at Hoquiam, Washington, it said. Watch why winds are so high.


The high winds snapped a 206-foot Sitka spruce, one of the nation's largest, that had attracted 100,000 visitors a year.

[suncat]

These storms happen once in awhile. They're nothing new.

[gnab gib]

Originally Posted by suncat

These storms happen once in awhile. They're nothing new.

Yeah, I have to chuckle at how every weather anomaly these days gets attributed to global warming. Sometimes, you just get a freak storm.

[Tesaje]

And the more people insist on living on flood plains, the more vulnerable they are to a big storm.

[MtnSurfer]

Originally Posted by YoAdrian

Yeah, I have to chuckle at how every weather anomaly these days gets attributed to global warming. Sometimes, you just get a freak storm.

LOL ...
Yo Adrian, I thought every natural disaster was due to global warming right? Just ask Al Gore.

I used to work with the Air Force Space Weather group and one of our scientists was always laughing about these 'so called' weather associations.

[gnab gib]

Originally Posted by MtnSurfer

LOL ...
Yo Adrian, I thought every natural disaster was due to global warming right? Just ask Al Gore.

I used to work with the Air Force Space Weather group and one of our scientists was always laughing about these 'so called' weather associations.

Ha! Well, I'm glad I'm not the only one who finds it silly. I mean, it's fine to worry about the planet and the climate, but it's another to be Chicken Little all the time ...

[Tim Rankin]

Well I don't want to sound alarmist or hype the climate change thing too much. It just seemed that this was a fierce and unusual storm. Here are a few more excerpts:



Extensive storm damage along Washington, Oregon coast
By The Associated Press

"In 30 years of law enforcement, it's as bad as I've ever seen," Whelan said.
Whelan said all access to the western part of Grays Harbor County was blocked. "We have trees and power lines down literally all over the county and they're blocking the roadways," he said. "The wind so far has not abated. It's been extremely strong."


Twin storms cut off most of the northern Oregon coast today, knocking out transportation and communications.
Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski declared a state of emergency because of flooding and wind damage Monday. "This storm is hitting the coast so hard, it's not leaving any road open," said spokeswoman Christine Miles.



Didn't the northwest have severe flooding last year too? I seem to remember news footage of entire houses floating down swollen rivers.

[Tesaje]

In all seriousness, it was an unusually fierce storm and the flooding is rough. But one or two fierce storms do not make climate change. A much stronger indicator of climate change is the significant ice melting in the polar regions.

But one thing that does happen during a climate change is the weather gets more extreme with bigger oscillations until it settles down into its new state. But we only know this in retrospect over a long period - not from any one storm.

[Tim Rankin]

Yeah, the flooding almost seems worse than the storm. That's what I remember from last year. Apparently the main interstate hwy betw Seattle & Portland is under 10 ft. of mud and water. Unbelievable.

[hymalaia]

Originally Posted by Tim Rankin

The high winds snapped a 206-foot Sitka spruce, one of the nation's largest, that had attracted 100,000 visitors a year.

driving back from the coast line six weeks ago I remember whizzing by the sign for this, then thinking I might as well check it out and pulling a u-turn on highway 26. Good thing I did! Honestly though the tree didn't impress me that much. Didn't seem all that tall though it certainly showed it's age!