Heat Advisory in Effect for Columbia County

NOAA has issued a heat advisory for Columbia County from Saturday (August 14th) through Monday (August 16th).
Please watch for heat exhaustion if working outside and try to stay in cool areas.
For more information, go to http://www.weather.gov/portland.

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URGENT - WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PORTLAND OR
406 AM PDT FRI AUG 13 2010

...EXCESSIVE HEAT WATCH IN EFFECT FROM SATURDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH
MONDAY EVENING FOR THE INLAND VALLEYS...COAST RANGE AND CASCADE
FOOTHILLS OF NORTHWEST OREGON AND SOUTHWEST WASHINGTON..

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN PORTLAND HAS ISSUED AN EXCESSIVE
HEAT WATCH...WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM SATURDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH
MONDAY EVENING.

* TIMING: A STRONG RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE WILL BRING VERY HOT
WEATHER TO THE REGION SATURDAY THROUGH MONDAY.

* TEMPERATURE: HIGH TEMPERATURES IN THE MID TO UPPER 90S CAN BE
EXPECTED SATURDAY THROUGH MONDAY WITH SOME LOCATIONS REACHING
100 DEGREES ON SUNDAY OR MONDAY.

* LOCATIONS INCLUDE: VANCOUVER...BATTLE GROUND...CAMAS..
WASHOUGAL...HOOD RIVER...CASCADE LOCKS...MULTNOMAH FALLS..
CORBETT...EUGENE...CORVALLIS...ALBANY...VERNONIA...SALEM..
MCMINNVILLE...SANDY...SWEET HOME...HILLSBORO...PORTLAND..
OREGON CITY...GRESHAM...TROUTDALE...ST. HELENS...TOUTLE..
ARIEL...COUGAR...ODELL...COTTAGE GROVE...LONGVIEW...KELSO..
STEVENSON...SKAMANIA

* IMPACTS: THE ELDERLY AND PEOPLE WITHOUT ACCESS TO AIR
CONDITIONING WILL BE PARTICULARLY VULNERABLE DURING THIS HEAT
EPISODE.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS..

AN EXCESSIVE HEAT WATCH MEANS THAT A PROLONGED PERIOD OF
DANGEROUSLY HOT TEMPERATURES IS POSSIBLE. THE EXCESSIVE HEAT MAY
CREATE A DANGEROUS SITUATION IN WHICH HEAT RELATED ILLNESSES ARE
LIKELY. NOW IS A GOOD TIME TO MAKE SURE YOU HAVE PLENTY OF NON-
ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES AVAILABLE. MAKE PLANS TO STAY OUT OF THE
SUNSHINE AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE.

&&

$$

Weather Spotter Training October 5th

Columbia County Emergency Management and the National Weather Service will be holding Weather Spotter Training on Tuesday, October 5th @ 7 PM at the Scappoose Fire Department (52751 Columbia River Highway) in Scappoose.

The training is for responders, volunteers, weather enthusiasts, and anyone else! The course will cover various weather terms and observations as we head into the Pacific Northwest's severe weather season--winter. Cloud identification, snowfall, types of wind, weather terminology and much more will be covered. Emergency Management will also talk about emergency preparedness.

The training is FREE, but registrations are requested. To register, contact Will Dubois at 503-366-3933 or Will.Dubois@co.columbia.or.us .

Hood-to-Coast August 27-28

It's almost time for another Hood-to-Coast run through Columbia County! The annual marathon, which goes from Mount Hood to Seaside, will occur August 27 & 28. Several thousand participants are expected on each of the various portions--the full marathon, high school run from Portland to Seaside, and walking marathon from Portland to Seaside.

The event starts in Columbia County on US 30 at the Multnomah County line. After going through Scappoose, the route heads off US 30 at Church Road in Warren, heads past the Fairgrounds into mostly rural areas of the county. The race then heads through Mist and Birkenfeld before exiting at the Clatsop County line.

The Columbia County Sheriff Office will restrict left turns onto US 30 from Church Road during the event.

Please check back here for more information as we get closer to the event. To learn more about Hood-to-Coast, go to http://www.hoodtocoast.com .

Long-Term Forecast From AccuWeather.com

Winter Forecast 2010-2011: Heavier Snow for Chicago, Minneapolis and Detroit, Normal Snowfall for NYC, Philly and D.C.

AccuWeather.com--August 5th, 2010

The major metropolitan areas of the mid-Atlantic that were pummeled with snow last year will get a break this winter, but that doesn't mean there will be no snow to shovel. In contrast, Chicago, Milwaukee and Minneapolis could be in the heaviest snow zone this upcoming winter.

Winter's Worst Cold and Snow

Overall, AccuWeather.com Chief Long-Range Meteorologist Joe Bastardi is predicting that the worst of winter's cold and snow will be from the Pacific Northwest into the northern Plains and western Great Lakes. That will put cities like Portland and Seattle that escaped with a very nice winter last year, colder and snowier this year. Fargo and Minneapolis to Green Bay will also receive above-normal winter snowfall.

Other cities predicted to receive above-normal winter snowfall include Chicago, Omaha, Minneapolis, Detroit, Cleveland, Seattle and Portland.

Bastardi predicts severe cold will hit Alaska and western and central Canada.

"The Canadian winter will be as harsh as last year's was gentle," Bastardi said.

Wintry Battle Zone But No Snowmageddon

In general, the East Coast will be granted a reprieve from the tremendous snowfall that caused 2009-2010's winter to be dubbed "snowmageddon."

This does not mean a free pass for the Northeast. Bastardi predicts late November and December could get winter off to a fast start in the East, with a major thaw coming for much of the country in January.

Bastardi makes the early cold connection between this year's active hurricane season and his winter forecast.

He said that years that see significant landfall, such as 1995, 2008 and 2005, usually also have cold for much of the eastern and central portions of the nation in December.

He said this year from the central Rockies to the Northeast a higher variance of temperatures will be present - "greater-than-normal swings between winter's coldest and warmest days." The conflicting warm and cold air masses contributing to these temperature fluctuations have placed this area into what Bastardi calls the "Wintry Battle Zone."

Despite the wild swings in temperatures, cities like New York, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., will still have near-normal snowfall. To put this in perspective, New York City receives an average of 28.4 inches of snowfall during winter.

Warmer and Drier South

The South and southern Plains will escape the worst of the winter weather with warmer and drier conditions compared to last year. Dallas, which received near-record snowfall last year, will be lucky to get normal snowfall this year.

While these areas will be warmer and drier, this does not preclude the southern Plains and South from the threat of a couple of ice storms, as cold air tries to intrude southward.

The best weather this winter will be in Florida. Bastardi suggests that Florida will be a great winter destination, with warmer-than-normal temperatures all winter long. We will also see warmer weather all along the Gulf coast, which could help the beach resorts recover from the economic downturn associated with the oil spill.

Southern California May Suffer from Drought

Southern California and portions of the Southwest could be threatened by a severe drought and high danger for wildfires, as Bastardi predicts a much drier-than-normal winter season for the region.

According to AccuWeather.com Senior Meteorologist and West Coast Expert Ken Clark, strict water management for Southern California could result come next spring and summer.

However, Bastardi predicts that from San Francisco and areas to the north, there could be more precipitation.

"This may be a great winter for building the Pacific Northwest and Canada snowpack, which is opposite of last winter," said Bastardi.

Temperatures this Winter

Temperature-wise, Bastardi is forecasting slightly higher-than-normal temperatures (0.5 to 1 degree warmer) for Boston, Washington, D.C., and New York City.

Detroit, Chicago, Kansas City and Minneapolis will be a degree or so cooler than average, while much of the western part of the nation may see temperatures that dip a couple of degrees.

Bastardi said Salt Lake City could be as much as 1-3 degrees colder, while Denver will be about 2 degrees below normal and both San Francisco and Los Angeles will have temperatures about 1.5 degrees cooler.

Above-normal snowfall is predicted for the Great Basin region, the Northwest and northern Plains, while the South and Southwest will get less snow than average.

Story by Kirstie Hettinga, Carly Porter and Henry Margusity, AccuWeather.com Staff Writers.

Columbia County Farmers Receive Ag Disaster Declaration

OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE
August 5, 2010
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Columbia County Receives Agricultural Disaster Assistance Declaration

ST. HELENS--Columbia County farmers are eligible for disaster assistance from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) for potential losses from last December’s freezing temperatures.

USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack approved a disaster declaration request from Washington County on August 2nd for damage to crops from low temperatures that occurred between December 1st and 13th, 2009. Due to the way the USDA disaster declaration process works, farmers in counties contiguous to Washington County are also eligible, making the declaration applicable to Columbia County.

This declaration opens up certain types of assistance for farmers, according to Derek White with Columbia County Emergency Management. “Farmers here are able to apply for disaster assistance from the Farm Service Agency. That assistance, if the applicant is eligible, ranges from emergency loans to supplemental revenue assistance payments”, White says.

Farmers have until April 2nd, 2011 to apply. Assistance applications must be filed at the nearest Farm Service Agency (FSA) office, which is located at:

Washington County FSA
1080 SW Baseline, Suite B2
Hillsboro, OR 97123

For questions about the program, please contact the Washington County FSA office at 503-648-3174.

Clatskanie CERT Fund-Raiser

The Clatskanie Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) will be offering an old-fashioned dutch oven meal on Saturday, Aug. 7 at the Clatskanie City Park from 5-7 p.m. for $8. The menu includes sausage, corn-on-the-cob, cubed potatoes with mushroom and cheese sauce and coleslaw. The food will be prepared by David Moore, a professional dutch oven cook and teacher.

A 12-inch Camp Chef dutch oven donated by Moore will be raffled following the dinner. Tickets will be sold for $1 each, with 1000 tickets available. Proceeds from the raffle will go to the Clatskanie CERT team for vehicle repairs.

Report courtesy of The Clatskanie Chief http://www.clatskaniechiefnews.com

Facebook, Twitter

Do you have Facebook or Twitter? Columbia County Emergency Management sends out regular alerts for preparedness, emergencies (flooding, most major accidents, etc.), and other important reminders through these two services--more often than blog updates. You can even set up Facebook and Twitter to send you text messages to your phone so you can get these important alerts while away from the computer!

Check us out at:

Twitter-- http://twitter.com/columbiacoem

Facebook-- search for "Columbia County Emergency Management"

Text messages from these services are FREE (standard text message rates from your provider may apply depending on your individual plan).

Cooling Centers in St. Helens, Scappoose

For those in need of a way to beat the heat on Wednesday and Thursday, there are cooling centers open in the following areas (times open follow):

St. Helens:

St. Helens Senior Center, 375 South 15 Street: 9 AM-3 PM

Scappoose:

Rose Valley Assisted Living, 33800 Frederick: 10 AM-4 PM
Scappoose Senior Center, 33342 Meadow Drive: 10 AM-4 PM

Please bring your own food and drink as these centers are only providing cooled shelter from the heat of the day.

Heat Advisory for Columbia County

The National Weather Service in Portland has issued a heat advisory for Columbia County starting at 10 AM on Wednesday, June 7 and ending at 9 PM on Thursday, June 8th. Temperatures are expected to be in the middle to high 90s during the day and drop only into the 50s and lower 60s overnight.

Drink plenty of fluids. Try to stay in the shade and watch for heat exhaustion if working outdoors. Check on relatives and neighbors, especially those without air conditioning.

For more information, go to:

http://www.weather.gov/portland

Dealing with Household Hazardous Materials

Focus on Fire Safety: Residential Hazardous Materials Safety

Residential hazardous materials (hazmat) safety is important in preventing fires in and around your home. Hazmat safety involves the proper handling and storage of combustibles and flammable liquids such as gasoline, kerosene, propane, oil, aerosols, certain household cleaning products, and painting supplies.

Read more at:

http://www.usfa.dhs.gov/citizens/focus/hazmats.shtm