[pct-l] Rain in the PNW (was hiking in rain gear)

[Nathan Miller]

>Does anybody know the average weather conditions
in Washington in mid and late September?

It really does vary.  Some years, we'll be hit by
back-to-back storm fronts starting in early
September.  A couple of years ago, we had a
spotty system move through the Northwest in late
August with scattered showers all over northern
Oregon and southern Washington.  Other years, the
fall rains won't come until the middle of
October.
My advise is to study climatological data for the
region.  Pay particular attention to what's
happening with oceam temperatures in the South
Pacific, which will influence the flow of
moisture across the ocean.  Climatologists use
this to predict whether we're likely to
experience climate patterns like el nino and la
nina.  These things run in cycles and although
it's still rather twitchy trying to predict the
weather, we've been able to obtain a pretty good
idea of how wet or dry the rain year is likely to
be and how soon or late storm systems are likely
to arrive.  Keep track of this whenever you find
internet access along the trail and be prepared
to tell your support people back home when to put
your rain gear into your resupply box (unless you
plan to carry it the whole way).

-Nathan Miller
Newberg, OR



 
____________________________________________________________________________________
Never Miss an Email
Stay connected with Yahoo! Mail on your mobile.  Get started!
http://mobile.yahoo.com/services?promote=mail