How's this for wacky: Snow in front yard; none in backyard
The Pacific Northwest is famous for its microclimates, but I don't think they're supposed to be quite this "micro".
My wife sent me two pictures from our home this morning taken at the same time. The photo on the left is our front yard, while the photo on the right is our backyard.
Yes, we have tall trees in the backyard but it's not enough of a canopy to block out snow, and we've had several other snow events in the past year that have covered the backyard with snow.
So, not sure what the deal is there, whether there is some sort of warm anomaly in the backyard or perhaps I've inadvertently discovered an anti-snow force field. If I figure out how to harness it, it'll be for sale at your local hardware store soon!
The best I have seen was about the center of a roof on a house in Seabeck. One side had snow, the other side had none! You could see it from across the water, exactly where the snow line was. Pretty neat to see!
Well, somebody's got to live on the edge of where the snow stops :-)
An interesting one I saw recently was a football game in Green Bay. It was snowing quite hard during the game, but the field was totally green. Part way through, they explained that there is a system of pipes underneath the field filled with steam or hot water. This keeps the field warm and the snow melting. I think Safeco Field has something similar that they use to kickstart the grass growing in early spring, before it normally would in Seattle. I don't supose you have that in your back yard? :-)
 @JHarris Wonder if a septic system could do that?
The question is if it wasn't snowing at all or as much in the back, or if it justwasn't sticking. (Or maybe a combination.) It sounds like it was snowing in the back, so perhaps the trees and other features were keeping the ground just a touch warmer so the snow melted. I'm guessing there was also just less snow coming down because of the trees, which would also keep the ground warmer since the snow cools the ground as it lands and melts. Add them up and you have snow only in the exposed front area.
 @JHarris I think you are on to something with the trees. It was snowing in the backyard, but wonder if the trees helped prevent as much radiational cooling? When I got home, the snow stretched for about 1/3 down the side of the home with the back 2/3 blank. (would have taken video, but it was too dark by then -- and pouring rain :)) Our neighbor's backyard -- a bit more exposed than ours as the greenbelt veers further back -- didn't have much snow either. It was fairly clear the night before in the hours before the snow arrived -- I'm wondering if the more exposed front yard got colder to radiate heat back into space while the backyard kept the heat in more with the trees around to trap the ground's warmth better. That's pretty much the only reason I can come up with :)
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Welcome to Washington lol
I live on a steep hill that is maybe 100ft high on a street maybe 800ft long. Countless times it is snowing at the top and raining at the bottom...Â
Two different wives?
And I thought Nevada had wacky weather. lol
The Matrix has you...
Perhaps a cloaked flying saucer flying directly over your backyard?
Oh that's too funny! Mother Nature's messing with our weather guru! :)
That is pretty neat, that is something I have never seen before. I am also not from here. I got to tell friends back home to check this out, I know they will be amazed also.
Growing up in the country setting of Kent in the 60'sas a child we would have rain in front of our house and sunshine in the backyard.. Only in the Pacific Northwest is this possible!!
 @Lindsey You must live in a very isolated world Lindsey! Having lived in the midwest for 35 years and the Seattle area for the last 8 years, the weather is very tame here, somewhat boring. Yes, I've seen it pouring down rain from a thunderstorm on one side of the street and not the other in the midwest.
 @Lindsey I lived in Hawaii for 3 years and many times we would have a downpour in our backyard and sunny skies in our front yard. Also lived in Silverdale Wa and many winters we would have snowing in front yard but nothing in the back. It's really not that unique.
 @Lindsey You obviously haven't lived anywhere else. It happens almost everywhere in the whole world
 @Lindsey I was going to mention the same thing - more than once (& at different locations around the Pacific Northwest throughout the years I've lived here) I've seen rain on one side of the house & sun on the other. The pictures above, however, seem a little more drastic.
 @katiemcc  @Lindsey we had that in Ga. when i was growing up, i have seen it rain on half the road but not the other.
I'm gonna have to agree, it's DEFINTELY the work of an anti-snow force field.
We also had a strange dividing line (between north/ South it appeared) on Snoqualmie Ridge this morning. The top of the parkway (~1,100 ft) was bare & wet while the lower- further north point about 1mi down the hill by the gas station (~900ft) was very snowy with the ground covered.
I would think that a front page story would have better confirmation of the event other than hearsay.
 @gitmetawidit Let's just say I trust the source of the photos
 @ScottS  @gitmetawidit it also looks like the front it is currently snowing and the back it is not even raining? :/
@ScottS @Brent well, about the trees having something to do with it, which way was the wind and how high were the gusts, maybe the house or tree line was to blame? Also, it's cool to be in az when thiers a dust storm, because you can see the dust sometimes see the dust a few houses away, but have little to no wind right where your standing.
@WA State Mom @ScottS @Brent You can actually see the reflection of the light from inside on the backyard half.....I love Washington!
 @ScottS  @Brent Oh-- I don't know-- seems like a shady source to me-- did you check this out in person? ;-)
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 @Brent Also I think the front yard photo was taken outside in the driveway while the backyard photo was taken from inside the home out our back window that accounts for some of the lightning difference as well :)
 @ScottS  @Brent Okay! :) I appreciate the full picture because it kind of looked like it was taken at a different time. Not doubting the story, just looked odd. I do see the snow in the trees... That is really odd that it was so heavy in front and nothing in back... I like the snow shield idea, that is where i put my bet!
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 @Brent Here is the full image of the backyard pic -- you can see in the upper left corner some of the snow on the distant trees :) http://komonews.s3.amazonaws.com/full_backyard.jpg
 @Brent  @gitmetawidit It was snowing in the back, it's just hard to see on the camera. If you look really close you can see some flakes on the ground, just only a few :)
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