The Heat is On

The National Weather Service has had us under a heat advisory for the last few days and it has been toasty. Temps have been in the upper eighties and low nineties. Today, tomorrow and Tuesday are supposed to be the hottest of the the week. NWS is suggesting the temps will be in the mid-nineties with heat indexes at or above the century mark. The heat index is a measure of atmospheric conditions that effect the way we feel heat. We still have some residual moisture in the air which adds to a muggy feeling. Our low elevation adds extra "weight" as well so we will feel every bit of a 100 degrees if the mercury meets 95. If you go up to the mountains where the air is thinner you may feel less heat even if the temperature is the same. Remember just because you "feel" less hot does not mean it IS less hot. Humidity typically amplifies the effects of heat as well. We have been running at relative humidity in the 45%-60% range which gives the air a little "stickiness". Stay hydrated and minimize direct sun exposure.

Look at that forecast for Independence Day, mid eighties, that is sweet.

Stay cool these next few days and enjoy our late sunshine. Temps will remain quite warm and comfortable during our very long Northwest summer twilight and into the midnight hours. We screamed for summer, now it is here, soak it my friends, soak it up.

Wild and Wet June will Flip a 180

With only 1.7 inches of rain in the bucket this month we are actually leaning towards a lower than average rainfall total for the month. Yet it somehow feels like it poured all month.  Perhaps it was the localized heavy squalls that dumped copious sums of water down upon us. Some of these may have missed the rain bucket. Maybe it has been this latest long stretch of mildly cool and cloudy weather late in June that has led to the damp perceptions.

All of that is about to change my friends.  The National Weather Service has issued a Weather Statement for the end of this week and into next week.  It's not for thunderstorms either.

"A STRONG UPPER LEVEL RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE WILL BUILD NORTH AND
WEST FROM ARIZONA AND UTAH THURSDAY AND FRIDAY...CAUSING
TEMPERATURES TO HEAT UP ACROSS MUCH OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES.
NORTHWEST OREGON AND SOUTHWEST WASHINGTON WILL BE NO EXCEPTION...
WITH INLAND VALLEY HIGHS WARMING UP TO AROUND 80 DEGREES THURSDAY
AND PUSHING 90 DEGREES FRIDAY. HUMIDITY LEFT OVER FROM OUR RECENT
RAINS WILL MAKE IT FEEL MUGGIER THAN USUAL...AND NIGHTS WILL BE
SLOW TO COOL OFF."

So, all of you complainers that have been whining about the cool temps and wet conditions this is for you. Do not let me hear you moaning about how hot it is this weekend. Here is the NWS forecast...

Summer will arrive a few days early. We may see the first 90 degree mark of the year this week. Soak it up.

Summer is Here, Sort of.

The summer solstice arrived last night at 10:04 pm and that makes today the first full day of summer. The solstice is the official beginning of summer but here in the Northwest, especially west of the Cascade mountains we have to wait a few more weeks.

The sun, if only it were out today, would stay in the sky blazing like a midnight candle, for nearly sixteen hours.  Today has been a nice quiet day. Warm but cloudy with a high that tickled the 70 mark before settling in around 65 most of the afternoon.  I witnessed a few raindrops here and there but nay enough to wet the road.  The first day of summer feels like the 92nd day of spring.  Because it kind of is.

tomorrow looks to be a very summer-like day but look at that forecast friends.  Nothing quite says 94th, 95th and 96th day of spring quite like the late June shower session predicted above. That meme I posted a few days back is starting to really sink in.  The rain does get warmer.  

I have been promising a summer for the last several weeks and our 75 days of glory are not far away.  Get out tomorrow and soak up all 78 degrees of sunshine. Then cruise through the first part of next week with 70s and showers while we close out the last two weeks of our 110 day spring.

 

Thunderstorms are a Rumblin'

The Cascades have had quite a bit of thunderstorm activity over the last few days including some boomers in the metro area.  Some of these squalls are accompanied by copious sums of precipitation in the form of rain and hail.

My son and I we returning from Central Oregon on Father's Day and after glorious sunshine in Bend we found heavy rain in Sisters just a few miles away.  The sun returned just a few miles away in Redmond only to followed by a violent cloudburst at Warm Springs with lightning, thunder and a torrential deluge of rain.

Late spring Weather in the Northwest can be quite entertaining as the rainy season is coming to a close but not quite done.  The warmer temperatures associated with June can cause storms to be more robust.

Get outside and enjoy the weather, whatever the weather :)

Tonight's grads may need an umbrella

The last few days have seen sporadic outbursts of drenching rain. Many Clark County high schools are holding grad ceremonies this week. The larger schools often must hold them outdoors. My son walks tonight with hundreds of Seniors from Heritage High School here in the 'Couv'. Thankfully, MacKenzie Stadium has covered seating for some 7000 people so I will be dry, but the grads are down on the field.

We are hardy up here in the Northwest. We don't pop an umbrella every time the sky drips, but these locally heavy showers have been producing rain at the rate of a couple inches an hour.  That is drenching to the bone my friends. The squalls tend to be brief but at those rates of rainfall even five minutes will make you feel like a drowned rat.

Let's hope the worst is behind us and all the grads can enjoy dry weather as the receive their high school diplomas this week.

A Brief Hiatus from Heaven

Our long run of fabulous summer-like weather will take a short recess this week as some customary June showers stroll through the neighborhood.  Fear not my friends, the summery goodness shall return for the weekend.  I love this funny meme, but really it doesn't apply so much once July arrives.  At least not here in the 'Couv'.

The National Weather service is showing showers in the forecast for the middle of this week and a return to fairer weather this weekend.  The temps should manage to make the middle 60s during the showers and I'd call that warmer rain, wouldn't you?  For those precipitation haters, I'll stay this; you really are on the home stretch, the checkered flag is waving frantically and the finish line is clear.  You will survive. Our seventy five days of summer, blessed by God Almighty himself is just a few weeks away.  You will soon find yourself bathed in mild warm sun with long lingering nights filled with twinkling stars.  No jacket required :)

Summertime in the Springtime

June has been absolutely brilliant so far.  We have had spectacular sunshine with 70s and 80s since the month began.  June in Southwest Washington can be a cornucopia of weather from cool showers, to rough and tumble thunderstorms or as we have enjoyed thus far, gorgeous sunshine from the heavens seemingly delivered by God almighty himself.

That pesky Rose Festival low seems to be staying away. For now. Get out and soak up that sunshine because until the booms and bursts of the 4th of July have come and gone, clouds and showers will remain an ominous threat.

My favorite thing about June is the late sunshine.  El Sol drops below the horizon after nine o'clock at night and the twilight lingers in the Northwest sky till nearly eleven.  The warm highs in the upper 70s tend to linger as well with the mercury often still flirting with seventy degrees after ten o'clock.  I enjoy sitting out on the patio as the sky slowly changes hue from red and orange to a deep Sapphire blue up high and a soft pastel blue near the horizon.  Towering fir trees are back lit silhouettes against the beautiful twilight sky.  A nice cool sangria really hits the spot after a long day in the warm sun.

Soak it up my friends, soak it up.

May is done, hello June :)

May was a fickle month with periods of summer like warmth and sunshine as well as cold and showery weather more attributable to early spring.  The first two days of June however were outstanding with sunshine and mild temps in the low seventies.  Let's hope the "Rose Festival" low decides not to show up this year.

Last month's numbers tell a tale of inconsistency. Despite what may have felt like a warm month or a cool month it was a little of both and averaged out to be just about normal.  The average overnight low came in for May at 48 degrees and daytime highs average to 67 both figures just a smidgen higher than my twelve year average.  May did manage to put 5.15 inches of rain in the bucket and that was nearly as much as both January and February COMBINED.  Most of that precipitation fell at the end of the month.

The coldest morning of the month was May 1st while we had a FROST advisory and a low temp here at 33 degrees.  The hottest day in May was just four days later on Cinco de Mayo with a toasty 86.1 degrees.  The coldest daytime high was May 22nd where the mercury was stuck in the forties the best it could muster was 46.5.  The warmest overnight low came on May 12th with a balmy 58.1.

I am certainly looking forward to our glorious summer weather that surely will arrive sometime around Independence Day.  In the meantime, soak up the sunshine because the National Weather Service has dropped the rain and delivered this juicy forecast for us to enjoy.

Not bad for June my friends and the best is yet to come.  June is the beginning of those really long days here in the Northwest.  Today we will have fifteen and a half hours between sun-up and sun-down.  Tomorrow El Sol pops up at 5:22 and will hang out until 8:54.  We will continue adding daylight until the Solstice in three weeks. I love that summer twilight at 10:30, don't you?  If you like astronomy then it kind of sucks, because astronomical twilight ends at 11:43 at night and begins again less than 4 hours later at 2:42 in the morning.

Get out and soak up that sunshine while you can.  You know I will :)