A little warmer for a while before...

We should enjoy some decent weather for Thanksgiving with modest overnight lows and warm daytime highs in the upper 40s to low 50s. After the somewhat chilly weather of the last week a balmy Thanksgiving is just what the doctor ordered. But it may come at a price.

Just about every weather reporting service is suggesting that some pretty chilly air is going to drop in sometime next week. Depending on which forecast you look at, we could see some snow at some point as early as Sunday night. Snow is always a tough proposition in these parts. Sometimes the weather guys nail it pretty good, other times they call for snow and we get rain or they call for rain and we get snow.

So get ready for a wild ride next week but look at the forecast for Thursday! You know the drill, Soak it up my friends, soak it up.

Nippiness Has Finally Arrived

Well friends, this autumn has been to say the least, mild.  This morning however was actually quite chilly for mid-November. The mercury bottomed out just before sun-up with a genuinely chilly 20.4 degrees. If it were late December of early January well, so what. But this is pre-Thanksgiving and that is a bona fide cold morning for this early in the season.

The great yellow orb is shining with an amazing radiance however and we should find the afternoon warming well into the 40s. We are going to get a little extended sunshine after two weeks of gloominess so you know the drill...

Yeah, Soak it up my friends, soak it up.

The Bugs are Acting Weird

Here we are in mid-November and I have yet to really see a cold day. In fact I have only had a couple of sub-freezing temperatures this season. Sure, it's been gloomy and cool, but we haven't had a chilly snap yet. Every time the sun peaks out and warms up the house those pesky yellow jackets start to buzz about. Those guys should have hibernated or died or whatever they do, by now. I know it's anecdotal evidence, but I think this could be an indicator. It has been a fairly warm autumn so far. Do those yellow jackets know something I do not? Since I am on the anecdote train, I have noticed the little sugar ants have been coming in the house late this year. They are normally gone for the winter by now as well. Maybe they are seeking a warmer spot inside because they sense something cold coming. Who knows, nature is always a step ahead of humanity. Enjoy the mild weather, some say the 'big chill' is coming a little later on in the season. And the bugs are acting weird.

SUNday was fabulous!

It wasn't a balmy day, but it was gorgeous yesterday. After a week of steady rain and Saturday's dry but cold and foggy episode, Sunday was wonderful. The mercury managed to get into the middle 50s under gloriously delicious sunshine all day long. This is November and it is time for the dark plunge into winter. We the denizens of the Pacific Northwest are a hardy lot. We know the endless gray drip of winter is enough to kill a Southern Californian. We embrace these amazing pockets of sunnylicious goodness as the temperatures continue their spiral into the basement and the clouds darken. Yes, I had to turn on my headlights at 3:30 on Saturday. The trees that have been so brilliant with their bright harvest hues are now yielding to old man winter and his lousy attitude. When these days of sun make their brief but welcome visits in the depths of our winter, we must take notice and most of all... we must soak it up my friends, soak it up.

Here comes the rain again...

Well the rains of Autumn have finally made an appearance after a very dry October. I was getting a little nervous, after all we have a reputation to uphold here in the soggy Northwest. We had a couple of days that were seasonably chilly to start the month off with snow down to pass levels, but now we seem to be comfortably situated in the low to mid 50s with the customary mid-fall showers. The NWS has a pretty typical early November forecast lined up for this week.

A special weather statement is in effect for tomorrow regarding high winds and heavy rain along with locally heavy snowfall in the passes. Bundle up but go ahead and soak it up too.

A Fabulous October is in the Books

Dougan Falls, October 29th

Another month is laid to rest and this time the outcome was amazing. This past October felt like it was warmer than average.  It wasn't. The average daily high was spot on my 12 year average of slightly above 60 degrees and the overnight lows were about 3 degrees colder than my average.

Perhaps it was the lack of rain that made October so delicious. Typically about 4 inches of rain falls in October but we had just a tad more than one inch. Many areas set daily high records on the 22nd. I had 71.2 that day which was slightly lower than my all time daily high of 72 on that date back in 2005. It is however a tie for the latest 70 degree day of the year. It is quite likely I won't see 70 again until late March or April.

The numbers looked like this. Average daily low of 41.19 and high of 60.08 against "normals" of 44.93 and 60.81. Coldest night was 30 degrees on the 29th. Coldest afternoon was the 2nd with 51.6. Hottest day was 72.6 on the 7th and the warmest overnight low was 47.1 on Halloween!

The wettest day was the 27th with three tenths and the total precipitation was a desert dry 1.09 inches.

Really, this was a pretty bland October, why the heck did it feel so awesome. Wait a minute, here is an interesting stat... wait for it now... here it comes... Great Scott, that's it! We had 18 days of sunshine! That just does not happen in October very often. The fall color has been a bit flat but the great yellow orb was most gracious with her extended participation in our weather. Oh yes my friends, soak it up!

October Rain