The Pacific Decadal Oscillation

Storm in Douglas County

12x10 inches

oil on linel on panel

John W Stinson ©2011

The Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) is a pattern of Pacific climate variability that shifts phases on at least inter-decadal time scale, usually about 20 to 30 years. The PDO is detected as warm or cool surface waters in the Pacific Ocean, north of 20° N. During a "warm", or "positive", phase, the west Pacific becomes cool and part of the eastern ocean warms; during a "cool" or "negative" phase, the opposite pattern occurs.

Yeah, okay but what does it all mean? According to Cliff Mass, Professor, Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Washington here in Seattle it may be the cause of the cooling trend that has been noticeable to residents in the Northwest in the last couple of years. Lots of rain this spring with the lowest temperatures in decades. We have had a couple of mild summers and I do mean mild (excepting the couple of record breaking heat days) and some serious winter weather but who knows the cause? Global warming? PDO? A bit of both?

This year we took off for my wife's math conference to be held at the Skamania Lodge near Stevenson, WA in May. I'm glad the room had a fireplace because we used it. We drove for three plus hours in what was the worst white knuckle driving rain storm I have driven in for years and except for a couple of short breaks it rained hard the whole way. We stopped at Steigerwald Lake wildlife refuge to sketch some scenes but the trip was too wet and cold along Columbia River Gorge do much sketching this trip. The highlight of the trip was a stop at the Carson Hot Springs east of Stevenson on a Saturday morning to enjoy a soak and a wrap. You soak in an old claw foot tub in the hot spring water and when you can't take it anymore you dunk yourself in a cold water tub. After a 40 minute soak you feel as if your blood pressure will cause you to explode then you get out and you are wrapped head to toe in a towel and left cocoon like on a padded table while your blood pressure slowly returns to normal. You feel so good for hours afterwards that you can't believe it's not illegal.

We continued up the Gorge on the Washington side of the Columbia River and on Sunday by midday we driving through Douglas County. The rain came with us in the form of thunderstorms. Outrageous thunderstorms. Pull over to the side of the road thunderstorms. I can't even remember the last time I saw rain when on the eastern side of the state let alone this type of rain. After explaining that my snoring kept her up all night my wife said she wanted to head home (I did not tell her that her snoring kept me up most of the night before) A few miles off of Highway 2 we stopped to watch a storm in the distance before making our way back to the highway and heading west for home.

Carson Hot Springs