[ad_1]

A pedestrian walks along Barnes Rd. Portland, April 11, 2022
Kristyna Wentz-Graff / OPB
This week’s rare snowstorm could be an indication of climate change, but climate scientists say it’s too early to tell, as global warming trends make this event unlikely to be related.
According to data from National Weather Service, snow has been recorded in Portland at most six times during April, according to data back to 1872.
Oregon’s state climatologist Larry O’Neill said these late-season snowstorms have gotten less frequent as the climate gets warmer, but Monday’s snowfall should not be considered an extreme event, despite Portland temperatures reaching into the mid 70s last week.
The snowstorm was “typical weather variability and not any sign of climate change,” O’Neill said. “I think the real story here is that we used to get snow more often in April in Portland and now we don’t.”
The snowstorm in Southwest Washington, Western Oregon, and Southwest Washington A minimum of one inch of snowTo the Portland metro area. Portland International Airport, which is located in the National Weather ServiceIt began keeping records in 1940 and recorded the first snowfall and sticking during April 1940. The snowfall reached as high as 125 feet in the Portland metro area and Southwest Washington. 11 inches in some places.
But data from the National Weather Service’s previous downtown Portland officeThe data shows that there have been at least six instances where snowfall occurred in April over the past 100 year.
On April 1, 1936 in Portland, just over 5inches of snow was recorded. On April 7, 1933, a little over an inch of snow was also measured. In 1901, 1895, and 1903 there were also three cases where a tenth inch of snow was recorded in April.
I am looking through old Oregonian articles and historical accounts of April Snow in and around Portland. It was more common in the 20th century, but April snow did occasionally occur. However, it wasn’t recorded by the very few weather stations that monitored it. 1/
— Oregon Climate Office (@ORClimateSvc) April 12, 2022
O’Neill, who directs the Oregon Climate Service and works as an associate professor in Oregon State University’s College of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, said Monday’s snowstorm was not unprecedented but it was unusual in part because lowland snow is becoming less frequent as the climate is warming.
“Some people are saying, ‘Oh, extreme events happen more often under a changing climate.’ And some extreme events it is true, but this, I wouldn’t categorize as an extreme event, and it’s definitely not unprecedented,” he said.
O’Neill said lowland snow is typical during “La Niña,” a weather pattern that occurs in the Pacific Ocean that creates and shifts cooler temperatures up north during the winter while the south experiences warmer drought-like conditions. Lowland snow conditions could also be spotty as some areas will see snow that doesn’t stick.
Historically, O’Neill said, if the weather station did not get any snow, and other parts of the city or region did, it would not get recorded as a snow day since it did not occur where the National Weather Service has its official equipment.

W. Burnside Rd. Portland, April 11, 2022 The snowfall amounts varied widely in the metro area.
Kristyna Wentz-Graff / OPB

A fallen tree branch fell onto the windshield of a car in west Portland, April 11, 2022.
Kristyna Wentz-Graff / OPB

Justin Alvernaz checks a vehicle left abandoned on W. Burnside Rd. Portland, April 11, 2022
Kristyna Wentz-Graff / OPB

Vehicles abandoned on W. Burnside Rd. Portland, April 11, 2022
Kristyna Wentz-Graff / OPB

A downed powerline on W. Burnside Rd. in Portland, April 11, 2022
Kristyna Wentz-Graff / OPB

Along with a FedEx truck on W. Burnside Rd, an abandoned vehicle is stranded in the ditch. Portland, April 11, 2022
Kristyna Wentz-Graff / OPB

Downed lines on Barnes Rd. Portland, April 11, 2022
Kristyna Wentz-Graff / OPB

W. Burnside Road was closed due to fallen trees, stuck cars, and downed powerlines. NW Skyline Blvd, April 11, 2022.
Kristyna Wentz-Graff / OPB

Fallen trees cover a Barnes Rd bus stop. Portland, April 11, 2022. The city had a wide range of snowfall amounts.
Kristyna Wentz-Graff / OPB

Tree damage can be seen throughout the city. This is Northeast Portland’s split tree, April 11, 2022.
Rebecca Morris / OPB

In inner Northeast Portland, April 11, 20,22, snow covers spring cherry blossoms.
Jessica Martin / OPB

A few footprints and tire tracks lead down the hill in Bethany on April 11, 2022.
Kristyna Wentz-Graff / OPB

W. Burnside Rd. is where a snowplow turns. NW Skyline Blvd., Portland, April 11, 2022
Kristyna Wentz-Graff / OPB

Along with a FedEx truck on W. Burnside Rd, an abandoned vehicle is stranded in the ditch. Portland, April 11, 2022
Kristyna Wentz-Graff / OPB

A pedestrian walks along Barnes Rd. Portland, April 11, 2022
Kristyna Wentz-Graff / OPB

Street lights cast a glow over the blanket of snow on Northeast 20th Avenue, Portland, Monday April 11, 2022. In the Pacific Northwest, snow fell on a lot of schools and caused delays, as well as traffic accidents that led to power outages and school closings.
Jeff Thompson / OPB

Snow and fog in Portland’s West Hills, April 11, 2022.
Kristyna Wentz-Graff / OPB

On April 11, 2022, trees laden with snow hang above wires along W. Burnside Ave. Portland.
Kristyna Wentz-Graff / OPB

Tree damage can be seen throughout the city. This is Northeast Portland’s split tree, April 11, 2022.
Rebecca Morris / OPB

In the inner Northeast Portland area, April 11, 2022, snow covers Lilacs.
Jessica Martin / OPB

There is enough snow to make a small snowman in Hillsdale, April 11, 2022.
Lauren Elkanich / OPB
Climatologists in Oregon and Washington said the additional precipitation from this week’s storm Drought conditions can be improved, but not eliminatedAll across the Northwest
Paul Loikith, an associate professor of geography at Portland State University, said that he believes the snowstorm doesn’t have a strong link to climate change because spring weather has warmed over 80 years.
“It’s kind of in the opposite direction of the way the statistics are going as far as warming temperatures,” he said. “Aprils are warming in Portland. We’re seeing in general less extreme cold over time, and that’s projected to continue.”
Loikith said springtime is getting warmer and summer is the region’s fastest warming season, but warming is seen across every month of the year. Based on the trends and temperatures derived from current knowledge about how climate change is affecting this region, he said that it was unlikely that this snowstorm could be attributed to climate changes.
Loikith stated that there is no definitive answer until proper analysis has been done. Attributing the snowstorm to climate change could require running two weather models comparing the likelihood of this event occurring in a pre-industrial climate versus today’s climate.
“Weather is capable of a wide range of extremes, even in the absence of human activity,” Loikith said.
Loikith said a perfect example of an extreme weather event occurring because of climate change was last June’s heat dome event, as it aligns with warming trends in the region. Climate change can also cause wildfires, which are extreme weather events that occur due to rising temperatures.
“Those impacts we’ve already felt,” he said. “We can measure it. It’s clearly connected.”
[ad_2]