Hello Summer :)

The month of June has retired for 2018 and now summer is really here. Over the course of the next 75 days we shall enjoy the finest weather mother earth has to offer. We earn it every year.

Miss Spring was her typical self this June with some tears, hot flashes, and temper tantrums. Glad that's over, let the summer commence!

June was pretty typical actually with a near dead on average temps over the course of the month. I had an average daily low at 52.45° just a tiny tick above "normal" and the Highs came in at 72.43° also a tick above. Although normal is a collection of extremes as Pat Timm has always pointed out in his weather columns, we didn't have too many "extremes" last month.

The warmest day was the 24th when I read 87.6° one of only three days above 85° all month. The warmest overnight low came in on the 20th with a 61.9° and nearly matched again the next night. The chilliest temp came on the 12th with a 42.1° mark and there was one day that failed to reach 60° and that was the 10th with a very march like 55°.

June gave us 15 days that were mostly sunny and 8 days with some rain. I had several days with thunderstorms including a few short but heavy downpours. We got 4 days above 80° and 17 days above 70°.

Despite some serious downpours, all but one of them were too short to really do much to the rain gauge. The wettest day was the 9th with 0.55 inches and that was the only day above 0.25 inches. Despite the 8 "rainy" days I only managed to collect 1.37 inches of rain and that is another sub-par month. Just 13.99 inches in the bucket at the halfway point and that's a touch under HALF my rolling average.

We are in for a dangerous fire season so please be careful out there. We are about to enter the start of a 60 day period where it is not at all uncommon to have ZERO precipitation. I average about an inch of rain in each of the two summer months, but I have also recorded several July months and August months with no rain at all.

I wouldn't mind having a couple of days in both July and August with a quarter inch or more in the bucket, just to keep things greenish.

So there you have it, the start of the greatest summer on Earth so you drop the top, don the shorts and tanks, and go soak it up my friends, soak it up.

Old Man Winter is Poking at Miss Spring

March has been on the chilly side thus far. It seems winter is not quite ready to let go nor pass the baton to Spring. There hasn't been any winter precipitation down in the lowlands but we have been dancing on edge with overnight lows in the 30s and daytime highs mostly in the 40s. Snow levels have remained down around 2000 feet and the snow is piling high in Cascades.

Today should mark a bit a warmer transition as the jet stream is riding up high allowing for some mild conditions to settle in for a bit. We might get to play with some spring 60s here tomorrow. Tomorrow is St. Patrick's Day and I have only had one March in 15 years of record keeping that had any significant snow accumulations after that day. Of course back in 2001 there was 1.6 inches that fell on St. Paddy's day and then in 2012 the snowiest March I have ever had at this location I had 3 inches on the ground on March 22nd. So we are by no means out of winter's grasp, but it is highly unlikely we will see any more sticking snow this season.

We had a second year in a row with sub-par snowfall down in valleys. I know that makes a lot of people quite happy. I like some snow in the winter personally so a paltry 2 inches is a bit weak sauce for this weather observer, but that's all we've had this season.

Here is the data for my snowy March in 2012.

Date           Snow    Depth

1-Mar	2.50	2.50
2-Mar		0.10
3-Mar
4-Mar
5-Mar
6-Mar
7-Mar
8-Mar
9-Mar
10-Mar
11-Mar
12-Mar
13-Mar	2.00	2.00
14-Mar
15-Mar
16-Mar
17-Mar
18-Mar	0.10
19-Mar	0.25	0.25
20-Mar
21-Mar	1.00	1.00
22-Mar	2.00	3.00
23-Mar		0.50
24-Mar		0.01
25-Mar
26-Mar
27-Mar
28-Mar
29-Mar
30-Mar
31-Mar

Warm-Tober

That was a pretty warm October. No record breaking events but definitely toasty and that has just been the case all year long. The average daily high for October, 2015 was a smoking 6.5 degrees above my 15 year "normal" and the overnight lows averaged three and a half degrees over as well. This was not due to an anomalous heat wave skewing the average, in fact, just one day recorded a temperature above 80 degrees.  No it was just really mild and that typical Autumn plunge just never materialized.

If October is a precursor to our winter we can expect a classic El Nino with warmer than average temperatures and drier than average conditions. But harbinger-smarbinger, last year we had the earliest sticking snow in my 15 years of record keeping when a one inch dusting stuck and stayed for a few days beginning on the 13th of November. Some precursor that was, it ended up being the only snowfall for the whole season!

October finished up with an average daily high of 65.93 degrees and an average overnight low of 48.82 degrees. The warmest day came on the 5th when the mercury hit 83.8 and the coolest temperature was the 23rd when it dipped to 37.9 which was the only sub 40 mark all month. The coolest afternoon was the 28th with a mild 54.5 and the warmest overnight low came on the 27th with a near summer-like 57.5. In total 18 days stayed above 50 degrees overnight and 25 days had high temperatures at 60 or more degrees.

Rainfall was deceptive. Up until and through the 30th of the month a mere inch and three quarters had fallen into the gauge. Nearly two inches more fell on the soggiest Halloween I can remember saving the month from a desert dry finish and bringing the total to near normal at 3.77 inches which is about 85% of normal for my location. Just 7 days with measurable precipitation and only 5 over .25 inch. The wettest was of course Halloween with that monsoonish 1.96 inches.

I have yet to yield a frost and haven't gotten any where near a freeze yet this season. It is quite likely that the first frost will in fact come in November as I have certainly never gone to December without achieving the first frost. In fact my records show that subfreezing weather has always occurred by the end of November to start the winter season.

So get ready for an interesting and potentially wild November, because September and October were truly mild to the point of dull, and I don't think it's possible for three dull weather months in a row, here in America's Vancouver.

Some Sunnyliciousness is coming...

Take a look at this forecast! Finally; we might see some sunshine. Doesn't that just break your heart? We have been in a rainy mess for weeks on end and now that proverbial light is shining at the end of the tunnel. Thankfully it is not the light of an oncoming train.

We have been quite warm however, so far this autumn. I have yet to record a sub freezing temperature and I haven't even recorded a sub 40 degree temp yet. That has never happened this late in my 13 years at this location. November 7th and still not a single temp reading in the thirties? Wow! We have had a freight train of storms coming in, often packing sub-tropical moisture. October was very wet and November may follow suit. All of that said, it will get cold here real soon. Get out and enjoy up this bit of sunshiny goodness over the next several days, it will end.

Soak it up my friends, soak it up.

The heat is on!

Those East winds are blowing and bringing with them high temperatures. I very well may see the hottest day of the year today. It is 95 degrees already and it's only 12:30. I have yet to record triple digit heat this year but today could be the day. Hold on to your hats or the East wind will blow it off. Today is going to sizzle like bacon on a griddle. Ouch! Be careful out there; this is the kind of weather that can overwhelm you. Drink lots of fluids and stay out of the direct sunlight. Cover up and of course don't forget to soak it up my friends, soak it up :)

Another sunny and warm day... ho hum... ;)

Summers in the 'Couv' are awesome. Sweet mother of the solar system, look at that sunshiny, golden goodness out there. Ok so it's a security cam picture, so what it still awesome out there :)

We should get more of this through Saturday afternoon but just a tad cooler maybe around 80 degrees. Then chance of summer showers then more sunny yummies after that.

Soak it up my friends, soak it up!

June is Here :)

Wow it is actually June. I love June. June marks the beginning of those ridiculously long summer nights. The Summer Solstice is upon us with an arrival in just about three weeks. Nearly 16 hours of sunshiny goodness and at least 4 more hours of beautiful twilight. If you are an astronomy buff this is the sucky time ;) We only manage to get about 3.5 hours of astronomical dark sky. You need to be observing from 11:30 pm to 3:00 am. Yikes!

It's worth it though. Summer is on its way and I am excited about it. But before I jump up and down with glee that the rains will begin to subside and the sun will warm us into glorious 80s... let's take a peek at the numbers for a very bouncy May.

May opened up with the first 90 degree temp of the year on the 1st of the month with a 90.1 degree reading. That was not enough to top the chart for the whole month as the 14th mustered up a toasty 90.3 degrees. Average highs across the whole of May were 69.28 degrees quite warmer than the "normal" 66.56. In fact the merry month of May produced five days above 80 degrees and another six in the 70s. The chilliest daytime high was on the 9th with a 53.2 degree reading under heavy rain and hail. But we can't complain since 26 of May's 31 days managed to get above 60 degrees.

May was also a bit balmy overnight this year. Average low temps were 49.43 degrees about 3 above the normal 46.77. The coldest low temp came on the 7th with an April-ish 39.7 degrees. Some of the outlying areas got a little frost that day, not here though. The warmest night of the month came on the 23rd with a very July-like 57.3 degrees.

Precipitation was close to normal. My rain gauge is out of commission so I used the numbers from the "Orchards North" station, very nearby. I think I actually got a little more rain than showing on the chart but it is close. 3.20 inches of wet stuff and a couple of days with a thick coating of hail on the ground. We had some bumpy T-storms rumble through a few times this past month. The wettest day was a sloppy 1.17 inches. There were 5 days with more than quarter inch of rain and 16 days of delicious sunshine.

The forecast is for 70s and even a few 80s over the next week and so Portland's Rose festival should be just peachy. Get out and soak it up my friends, soak it up!

Hotter than the 4th of July? Probably

We have another heat wave under way and the mercury has busted through to the nineties again! I average only 9 days a year at or above 90 degrees and now there is already two in the books this year! I am sitting at 90 degrees and watching all that delicious sunny goodness pouring all over the city.

So get out and soak it up my friends, soak it up!

Glorious Sunshine Returns

With nary a complaint from anyone, the spring weather has returned to the brighter and warmer variety we all know and love. Today's high temps were flirting affectionately with 70 degrees and the prognosticators at the NWS think it could be warmer over the weekend.

But first we must endure some more liquid refreshment. Showers abound till Saturday followed by a healthy dose of vitamin D enriching sunshine on Mother's Day.

Soak it up my friends; soak it up.

Spring has Some Sizzle, Sometimes

Well, someone told Miss Spring she's not hot... and that just pissed her off. Yesterday was gorgeous with temps in the 70s. Today and tomorrow however, are going to roast us to toast, just like July. Forecasts are pointing to a possibility of reaching not just 80 degrees but even 90 degrees on Thursday. I am not so certain about hitting ninety, but it will be warm for sure. I don't think you need a cue from me at this point but... Soak it up my friends, soak it up.

Rain, rain, rain, and some sun too...

Oh spring you feisty little one... Temps on a yo-yo with wet and wild episodes and outbursts.

Are you kidding me with this sunshine?

31 degrees at 9:45 AM under sunshine
as I took my dog to the vet this morning

Holy San Diego Sunnyness, Batman the great Yellow Orb is burning up a big blue sky; AGAIN! It's 11 AM and the merc is up just over the 40 degree mark on its way to the upper 40s. The 50 mark will be made in the breezy spots along the Mighty Columbia River later on.

January is a month that typically is limited to a couple of days with El Sol running the show. This month has had a whole winter's worth of clear days. That pesky fog has socked us in at times over the last several weeks but days like today have not been by any means a rarity. Generally a clear sky yields lows in the 20s and we have had those, but when the thick fog is absent that late January sun can warm us into the 40s pretty easily.

The view out the window of my home office as I write this

I am going to find a reason to get outside and stay there. Vitamin D fortified rays from the home star are beamed down outside as I write!

We have less than three inches of water in the bucket and the month is almost done. I think we need a big fat wet storm to come in. One of those southern "pineapple express" deals would hit the spot. But until that happens just get outside. Soak it up my friends, soak it up!

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.

OK, I think autumn weather is going to return now

Well, most of October has been nothing short of brilliant. We even had a record breaking day last week with several locales busting over the top of 70 degrees. I think this spectacular early autumn delusion is going to fade away now. The National Weather Service is calling for more 'normalish' 50s this week. However they are still expecting mostly sunny conditions. I think this may be the sunniest October I have seen in a dozen years.

Funny thing also, I have yet to record a temperature below freezing. I can't remember the last time October went by without a sub freezing morning. of course there is still a few days to go and you never know. Enjoy the sunshine while we have it, then enjoy the brilliant fall color under a cloudy blanket. It's all good. Soak it up my friends, soak it up.

Sunny, Sunny, Sunny October

What an amazing week we just witnessed. It was sunny every single day. Last week came off a mostly sunny week previously and this week the NWS says... More of the same. We are getting thick surface fog in the morning that burns off to gorgeous blue skies and warm sunshine. Careful driving, running or biking in the AM. Look at this week's forecast!

I have an out of town guest arriving next week and I just hope this nice weather can hang on. Has it ever gone this long in October without clouds and rain? The last rainy day was October 8th. Some weather sites are suggesting the dry sunny days will continue to the end of the month. We are going to need a wet November to offset this bone dry October. Well, what are you waiting for? Get out there and soak it up my friends, soak it up.

What a GREAT weekend!

I was gone on Friday and most of Saturday but I few into PDX late Saturday afternoon and it was spectacular. The was the most beautiful landing I have ever had. The sun was tickling the horizon as our plane skirted along the western flank of the cascades. Every peak was warm and reddish with alpenglow as the sun set. Sisters, Jefferson, Hood, Adams, St. Helens and Rainer were all aglow and crystal clear.

The plane made its way over the city and I could see the trees were showing a little color as they prepare for the autumn show. It was 70 degrees around 6:30 when I landed and the skies were clear. What a beautiful day it obviously had been and I couldn't wait for Sunday.

Sunday was a masterpiece with temps in the low to mid seventies under a glorious sun filled blue sky. I finally got around to mowing the lawns, possibly for the last time till spring. I even trimmed some bushes and put away the last of the patio furniture for the season. I love fall weekends like this. Bravo October, Bravo. Later this evening some showers are expected to develop as we return to traditional cool autumn weather. You can still get our and soak it up, my friends. Soak it up.

Great summer weather continues on and on and on...

Our run of great weather continues. As is typical for the "dog days" of summer it doesn't look like the good news is going away either. More 70s and 80s are on tap for the next several days. We may get a hiccup in the pattern or stray thunderstorm here and there but we should be all clear for quite some time as the 75 days of our glorious summer stretch on towards the horizon.

Here is the NWS forecast:

Take a look at the USGS "Volcano Cam" up at Mount St. Helens. This is a live camera that runs year round.  It is showing nearly 80 degrees up at Johnston Ridge.  That is worth the drive to see the mighty volcano that violently erupted 32 years ago. The devastation remains today.

http://www.fs.fed.us/gpnf/volcanocams/msh/

Want heat, go East young man, Go east

My eldest son will be attending Central Washington University this fall. I found myself in Ellensburg on Thursday for a college orientation at CWU. While the 'Couv' enjoyed temps in the upper seventies to low eighties (my station recorded 78), Ellensburg roasted in the desert dry oven with temps hovering close to 100 degrees. But hey, it's a dry heat, like that makes it OK ;) It was beautiful though with nary a cloud in the sky.

East Side of Cascades overlooking Yakima on the Way to Ellensburg

Thursday night the wife and I decided to head north to Lake Chelan. Temps were very warm up there as well. It was over 80 degrees at 10 PM. Friday we enjoyed a day at the winery and then closed out the trip with a roasty, toasty trip to Leavenworth for some German Chocolate.

The return trip over Snoqualmie pass yielded more typical 70's and 80's.  What a relief to be back on the west side with manageable summer weather that is a pure delight. Today should make it to the mid 70's which is fabulous. Get out there an soak up that summer my friends, soak it up.

It just doesn't get any better than this.

This week has been nothing short of spectacular. It was a little toasty on Tuesday with my temp hitting the upper eighties but the rest of this week has been upper seventies and low eighties. That is probably the temperature in Heaven, my friends. Our wonderful 75 days of summer are in their early weeks and the proverbial goods have been delivered. We should get more of the same for this weekend. Soak it up.

Gloriously Perfect Summer Weather

Since the Fourth of July we have been bathed in that perfect summer weather I have been blathering on about for several months now. We tend to have some morning clouds that roll in an hour or two after sunrise and hang around till noon-ish. Then the grand magnificence of our home star provides mild warmth and temps in the mid seventies to very low eighties. How sweet it is. Soak it up my friends, soak it up.