APRIL 19th: Yesterday, Yakima, with 100 years of record, recorded its coldest 19 April with 18F, shattering the old record by 4 degrees: STATION PREVIOUS NEW RECORDS RECORD/YEAR RECORD BEGAN BICKLETON, WA 21 / 1966 20 1931 YAKIMA,WA 22 / 1927 18 1909 :SINCE MID The fruit growers in eastern WA and OR are working hard this spring to keep frost damage out of their orchards. Note the smoke & haze all quadrants for 6 hours in Yakima: 19 KYKM SA 0853 0>120 10 1011.7 30 16 0 0 29.86 8 07 0 0 AO2 19 KYKM SA 0953 0>120 10 1011.6 24 14 260 4 29.85 0 AO2 19 KYKM SA 1053 0>120 10 1011.4 25 14 0 0 29.84 0 AO2 19 KYKM SA 1153 0>120 7 1011.4 20 13 260 4 29.84 6 06 0 0 0 35 20 AO2 19 KYKM SA 1253 0>120 10 1011.5 18 12 0 0 29.84 0 AO2 FU HZ ALQDS 19 KYKM SA 1353 0>120 8 1011.7 24 16 3 29.84 0 AO2 19 KYKM SA 1353 0>120 8 1011.7 24 16 3 29.84 0 COR AO2 FU HZ ALQDS 19 KYKM SA 1453 0>120 10 1011.8 30 21 0 0 29.85 3 04 0 0 AO2 FU HZ ALQDS 19 KYKM SA 1553 3>120 10 1011.3 35 21 0 0 29.84 0 AO2 FU HZ ALQDS 19 KYKM SA 1653 3>120 10 1010.9 40 22 0 0 29.83 0 AO2 FU HZ ALQDS 19 KYKM SA 1753 3>120 10 1010.7 43 18 5 29.83 6 08 0 0 44 18 AO2 FU HZ ALQDS 19 KYKM SA 1853 3>120 10 1009.9 46 18 340 4 29.80 0 AO2 Snow at valley bottom yesterday evening around 6 pm here in Portland. No accumulation there but I saw some on the grassy surfaces above 750 feet in the west hills. On Friday, as I returned from the coast it was coming down hard on HWY 26. Snow from 280 feet up, with accumulation on the road above 900 feet. Temperature at the summit of the coast range (~1600 ft), 32F at 7 pm. Amazing. APRIL 20th This morning marks the 5th consecutive KUIL sounding at -36C or lower at 500 mb: 2008041912 500 5280 286.3 -38.3 -45.3 48 300 9 2008041912 2008042000 500 5290 286.5 -38.1 -51.1 24 95 5 2008042000 2008042012 500 5310 286.3 -38.3 -42.4 65 345 2 2008042012 2008042100 500 5340 287.0 -37.7 -52.7 19 215 12 2008042100 2008042112 500 5330 289.0 -36.1 -46.1 35 245 10 2008042112 Hasn't been this cold in Spokane on 20 April in over 100 years: ...RECORD COLDEST HIGH TEMPERATURES ACROSS EASTERN WA AND NORTHERN ID... LOCATION TEMPERATURE PREVIOUS PERIOD OF RECORD RECORD SPOKANE INTL. ARPT., WA. 39* DEGS. 42 SET IN 1893 127 YRS SINCE 1881 Great Falls yesterday 20 April shattered its latest date of subzero weather by two weeks: ...LATEST BELOW ZERO TEMPERATURE FOR THE SEASON IN NORTH CENTRAL MONTANA... LOCATION NEW RECORD OLD RECORD YEAR SET GREAT FALLS APRT -1 ON APR 20 -6 ON APR 6 1975 Today Great Falls has seen its temperature on 21 April plummet even further to an astonishing 8 below zero after a high on Sunday of only 18: ...RECORD COOL MAXIMUM TEMPERATURES FOR APR 20 IN NORTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST MONTANA... LOCATION NEW RECORD OLD RECORD YEAR SET DILLON AIRPORT 19 29 1951 GREAT FALLS APRT 18 24 1967 SIMPSON 28 28 1967 HELENA 22 28 1951 CUT BANK 17 22 1967 HAVRE 21 27 1967 TOWNSEND 27 27 1951 BOULDER 22 24 1951 CHOTEAU 17 24 1951 WHITE SULPHUR SP 18 21 1951 BELGRADE FIELD 25 28 1951 GOLD BUTTE 17 25 1967 LEWISTOWN 16 23 1951 Low temperature records are also being recorded in California: AT SACRAMENTO EXECUTIVE AIRPORT...A RECORD LOW TEMPERATURE OF 34 DEGREES WAS SET YESTERDAY. THIS BREAKS THE OLD RECORD OF 36 SET IN 1967. ...AT STOCKTON AIRPORT...A RECORD LOW TEMPERATURE OF 32 DEGREES WAS SET YESTERDAY. THIS BREAKS THE OLD RECORD OF 35 SET IN 1967. ...AND AT REDDING AIRPORT...A RECORD LOW TEMPERATURE OF 31 DEGREES WAS SET YESTERDAY. THIS BREAKS THE OLD RECORD OF 35 SET AT THE AIRPORT IN 1996...AND AT THE OLD CITY STATION BACK IN 1984. April 21st The previous daily record from 21 April 1951 at Great Falls MT was eclipsed by 19F: ...LATEST BELOW ZERO TEMPERATURE FOR THE SEASON IN NORTH CENTRAL MONTANA... LOCATION NEW RECORD OLD RECORD YEAR SET GREAT FALLS APRT -8 ON APR 21 -1 ON APR 20 2008 ...RECORD LOW TEMPERATURES FOR APR 21 IN NORTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST MONTANA... LOCATION NEW RECORD OLD RECORD YEAR SET GREAT FALLS ARPT -8 11 1951 BELGRADE FIELD 15 (TIED) 15 1951 LEWISTOWN 0 1 1967 HELENA 6 14 1951 More records from MT and ID for coldest temperatures recorded so late in the spring: ...RECORD LOW MINIMUM TEMPERATURES SET AT LOCATIONS IN WESTERN MONTANA AND NORTH CENTRAL IDAHO ON APRIL 21 2008... NEW RECORD PREVIOUS LOW MINIMUM TEMP RECORD (YEAR) ---WESTERN MONTANA--- BUTTE * 2 7 (1951) DRUMMOND * -2 -1 (1951) ---NORTH CENTRAL IDAHO--- LEADORE * -2 3 (1968) * COLDEST TEMPERATURE FOR SO LATE IN THE SEASON . A USGS observing site (SMHM8) 30 miles S of Great Falls recorded -9F this morning: 21 SMHM8 hm 0915 -7 21 SMHM8 hm 0930 -7 21 SMHM8 hm 0945 -7 21 SMHM8 hm 1000 -8 21 SMHM8 hm 1015 -8 21 SMHM8 hm 1030 -9 21 SMHM8 hm 1045 -9 21 SMHM8 hm 1100 -9 21 SMHM8 hm 1115 -9 21 SMHM8 hm 1130 -8 21 SMHM8 hm 1145 -8 21 SMHM8 hm 1200 -7 21 SMHM8 hm 1215 -6 21 SMHM8 hm 1230 -6 21 SMHM8 hm 1245 -5 21 SMHM8 hm 1300 -4 21 SMHM8 hm 1315 -2 21 SMHM8 hm 1330 -1 21 SMHM8 hm 1345 -1 21 SMHM8 hm 1400 -1 21 SMHM8 hm 1415 0 21 SMHM8 hm 1430 5 21 SMHM8 hm 1445 6 21 SMHM8 hm 1500 10 21 SMHM8 hm 1515 12 21 SMHM8 hm 1530 14 21 SMHM8 hm 1545 17 21 SMHM8 hm 1600 17 21 SMHM8 hm 1615 21 21 SMHM8 hm 1630 22 21 SMHM8 hm 1645 23 21 SMHM8 hm 1700 24 APRIL 21 On 21 April 2008 more cold temperature records fell. Spokane experienced its coldest 21 April in the past 127 years going back to 1881: ...RECORD COLDEST HIGH TEMPERATURES ACROSS EASTERN WA AND NORTHERN ID... LOCATION TEMPERATURE PREVIOUS RECORD PD OF RECORD COLVILLE, WA* 45 48 IN 1955 SINCE 1899 WINCHESTER, ID* 34 39 IN 1970 SINCE 1939 BONNERS FERRY, ID* 44 46 IN 1937 SINCE 1907 LIND, WA* 49 50 IN 1970 SINCE 1931 QUINCY, WA* 50 (TIED) 50 IN 1967 SINCE 1941 WINTHROP, ID* 46 (TIED) 46 IN 1967 SINCE 1906 DAVENPORT, WA* 43 (TIED) 43 IN 1967 SINCE 1893 SPOKANE, WA 40 45 IN 1937 SINCE 1881 LEWISTON, ID 49 (TIED) 49 IN 1960 SINCE 1881 WENATCHEE,WA (PANGBORN) 47 51 IN 1960 SINCE 1959 *THE 39F DEGREE HIGH AT THE SPOKANE AIRPORT WAS THE LATEST DATE IN THE SPRING THAT THE MAXIMUM TEMPERTURE HAS FAILED TO REACH 40F. THE PREVIOUS LAST DATE WAS SET ON APRIL 11 2001.