Heavy Rain, Thunder and Snow

Well we have had very little low elevation snow this past winter season and as spring open there was nary a flake of snow on the foothills. Only the majestic and mighty Cascade volcanoes were wearing a mantle of white the day Miss Spring took the reigns of control. This past weekend brought some thunderstorms and quite a bit of heavy hail in some of our valley locations. The foothills got a dusting of snow down to mid-slope at around 2500 to 3000 feet.

It seems we have transitioned from dry to wet over the last week or so. Local hydrologists have been worried that a weak snow pack in the Cascades could lead to an early and possibly dangerous fire season this summer. Let's just hope the springtime delivers some tasy snow events in the foothills and the high cascades to help keep us lush and green through the summer. meanwhile get out and soak it up my friends, soak it up :)

A Little Crackle, Boom and Splash

Oh the monotony of summer with those endless days of gorgeous sunshine and comfortably warm temperatures. We needed a little break didn't we? Well we got that to be certain. Yesterday I had 0.47 inches of rain in the bucket and today I had 0.51. That is nearly an inch in the last 36 hours! All that splash was accompanied by the boom and crackle of good 'ole thunder and lightning. ell we hit our average for the month so we should be done, right? Right! The temps were nice and cozy in the upper sixties and low seventies. But that will change here for the last weekend in July. It will be back to those monotonous boring perfect summer days... ho hum ;)

Soak it up my friends, soak it up.

Epic Spring Cloudbursts Today!

Well Miss Spring had a bit of a vernal tissy today with copious sums of rain crashing down upon us throughout the day and a little thunder and hail just to let winter know, she is in control.

Over all the incidents of heavy rain were scattered but holy cow did it come down in some spots today!

The forecast for the next few days is more of the same and again the NWS is optimistic with these forecast temps in the mid to upper fifties. It has been more like upper 40's and low fifties so we shall just have to wait and see if Miss Spring can rip the controls for the atmosphere away from the clutches of Old man Winter once and for all as the month of April looms on the near horizon.

As usual rain or shine, sun or snow, soak it up my friends, soak it up.

A Return to Unsettled Weather

So it begins, our late summer slide into the Autumn. The mistress of heat has played what was perhaps her final hand. The heat wave is over and we have a return to unsettled weather. Thunder and lightning awaited us this morning and the prognosticators of the atmosphere have proclaimed this shall continue through the middle of the week. The forecast is not bad, just a thump and bump and some showers to share till the end of the week when the 80s make a brief return. Soak it up my friends, soak it up :)

How about that Thunderstorm on Labor Day Night?

We had quite a light show on display across the region on the evening of Labor Day and into Tuesday's wee hours. More unsettled weather is in the forecast as the week progresses. Worry not however, the temps are comfortably mild and the sun shall return for one final curtain call before Autumn lowers the proverbial boom :)

One of my followers has sent out a press release on behalf of a local Dentist here in the 'Couv'. It seems that Dr. Bowyer is offering free dental mouth guards to athletes in the area as a community service. Below is a copy of that press release, get out there and soak it up my friends, soak it up and by all means be safe about it.

With the start of the new school year, Vancouver dentist Dr. Bowyer is giving away free mouth guards to student-athletes.  “Every year, I treat children with chipped or breaking teeth from their student activities, which can easily be prevented with consistent use of a mouth guard,” says Dr. Bowyer.

The National Youth Sports Safety Foundation estimates that more than three million teeth and over would be knocked out each year without the use of mouth guards.  This includes preventing over 200,000 serious dental injuries.  Student athletes are over 60 times more likely to suffer a dental injury when not using a mouth guard.  The most common injuries are flying elbows to the mouths, and impact from sports equipment.  Traditional contact sports, such as football, boxing, and martial arts require mouth guards.  Mouth guards should also be used in non-contact sports, including basketball, baseball, soccer, and wrestling.

Likewise, mouth guards help protect athletes from concussions.  Upon impact, a mouth guard helps an athlete clench the jaw muscles, thereby helping to stabilize the skull and neck.  Mouth guards distribute and dissipate the force of an impact, minimizing the severity of traumatic injury to the head and soft tissue.

Finally, a common mistake students make with mouth guards is infrequent replacement and sanitization.  Unsanitary mouth guards increase the intensity of mouth cuts and abrasions, increasing chances of infection from bacteria, yeast, and fungi that mouth guards routinely collect.  Also, mouth guards should be replaced regularly, or when edges become sharp or jagged, or if the mouth guard no long fits and promotes oral irritation.

“I can not stress enough the importance of athletes wearing a mouth guard, especially for those wearing braces” says Dr. Bowyer.  “Parents should consider a mouth guard as mandatory safety equipment.”

From Sept. 4th to Sept 30^th (M-TH), Dr. Boywer is providing these free mouth guards to anyone who stops by his office – children and adults alike.  Dr. Bowyer’s office is located at 300 SE 120^th Ave, Suite 700, Vancouver, WA  98683, 360-253-2640.

About Dr. Bowyer: Dr.  Bowyer is a Vancouver native.  He earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Washington, and a dentistry degree from the Columbia University School of Dental and Oral Surgery.  After completing his second year, Dr. Bowyer was one of two students selected  to participate in an honors program at the 5^th Avenue Manhattan Dental Clinic.    Dr. Bowyer has taught at Clark College School of Hygiene, and has taught as an assistant to 1-3 year dental students.  Dr. Bowyer has been awarded from the Academy of General Dentistry and honored by Columbia University as the Best General Practitioner in his class.  Dr. Bowyer is a member of the American Dental Association, Washington State Dental Society, American Academy of General Dentistry, AAOI (Academy of Osseointegration) and the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry.

Boom, Crackle, Whoosh!

These lyrics from Bob Segar's 'Night Moves' seem so appropriate right now.

"I woke last night to the sound of thunder 

How far off I sat and wondered 

Started humming a song from 1962 

Ain't it funny how the night moves 

When you just don't seem to have as much to lose 

Strange how the night moves 

With autumn closing in"

Local TV station KGW posted this on Facebook

I know those lyrics may be a metaphor for things unrelated to actual weather. That's OK with me, they hit the spot right now. This morning a cell of thunderstorms moved in and I actually did awake to the sound of thunder, and my frightened Labrador Retriever. Summer thunderstorms can be fun to watch and listen to. Boom, Crackle and then Whoosh comes the rain. I prefer to listen in the afternoon, but early in the morning, well OK had to get up anyway.

Wet, dripping wet...

An epic downpour of rain, thunder and hail is happening right now.  That cool system moving in will create havoc for us over the next 36 hours and watch out for snow on the passes.  NWS says 3000 feet for fluffy white stuff.  The temperature dropped six degrees in sixty seconds. Here is a video I took towards the end of the main deluge.

Spring weather in the Northwest can turn on the proverbial dime, and it has done just that today.  Kudos to the hardworking folks over at the Portland, OR and Seattle, WA offices of the National Weather Services for nailing this forecast.