A Big Bowl of Burr, is Headed our Way

January is done and temperatures were par for the course. It all averaged out to pretty close to normal. The average daily low was 33.88 just a tick above normal and the average daily high was 45.89 a little more than a degree on the warm side. The coldest temp was a chilly 22.8 on the 5th and the warmest was a balmy  55.2 on the 24th. We managed to get above freezing every day with the chilliest afternoon a foggy 37 on the 4th and the warmest overnight low came on the 10th with a toasty 46.2.

Once again rainfall was the topic of trouble. It was a well below average 3.78 inches in the bucket. We had 15 days with subfreezing lows and a whooping 8 days with the mercury buzzing around in the 50s. Only 10 days were rainy and 11 days were sunny. More sun than rain in January? Yep. You don't see that very often.

Nary a flake of snow was seen in the month on January down here in the city. Overall it was a ho hum winter month that never really got too cold and frankly it was nice more often than not. I have no complaints about that!

Things are going to change back to more wintry condition this week however. More of that wonderful arctic air is set to drop in over us. There will be some cold and dry days and possibly some cold and white, fluffy days. Tough call on snow this late. The mighty fireball manages to get up a little higher in the sky as we move closer to spring. That means it can do a better job of warming the air. So I doubt it will be single digit cold like it was in December but teens here at my station are not out of the question. It looks like a big bowl of burr, is headed our way.

Since I have been keeping records at this location I have not had much snow in February. In fact, I average quite a bit more in March. But the law of averages says February is due, so I say bring it on.

So Long Mister Freeze...

It would seem that our cold snap has expired and now we return to a more typical Northwest pattern for West of the Cascades. Cool and showery. The mercury may plunge a little tonight but since there appears to be warm air aloft (Larch Mountain at the 1150 foot mark is in the 40s) we will mix this all out today or tonight. Freezing rain is still possible in isolated areas but for the most part I think we are in the clear. Well, for ice that is. Showers began at my station today around 3pm.

This cold spell is one of the longest periods of continuously sub-freezing temperatures in a long time. The last time we saw 40 degrees was on December 3rd. The temperature dropped below freezing that night and stayed below freezing until the 10th when the warm rays of El Sol perked us up to 35. it is likely we will see another 40 mark this weekend, maybe even tomorrow. Ah... back to normal.

Here is a chart showing the cold period and associated snowfall. I did not get much snow at all. Most areas south and west of my location got double to triple what I had in terms of snowfall.

As usual get out and soak it up my friends, soak it up.

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.

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.

Wild Storm Pummels the 'Couv'

What a ride yesterday! A storm rolled in packing big wind and a brief deluge that would make Noah nervous. The streets are littered with tree branches and other natural debris. This one was packing quite a wallop and the rain was falling horizontal for a good portion of the day. I got over an inch of rain and most of it came in a one hour period of atmospheric rage late in the afternoon. Today it seems we have a little less anger from mother nature but the NWS still has a wind advisory up for the region today. Be cautious and enjoy our misfit behavior in the skies for the next couple of days. Soak it up my friends, soak it up.

August is in the Books

Another gorgeous Northwest month has come and gone. August was stellar, with near perfect weather the whole month long. It started off a touch on the cool side and offered up a little wet stuff towards the end. Even the wet days were quite pleasant however.

The stats were pretty standard for the month of August. I showed not one day above 90 degrees. The official station at Pearson logged two at exactly 90 degrees, however. The warmest day here in Northeast Vancouver was 88.3 degrees on the 6th the coolest afternoon high was the 63.3 on the 1st. The warmest evening was the 64.5 on the 29th and the coolest temp was recorded on the evening of the 21st with a low of 51.6 degrees. We had five days with precipitation exceeding 0.03 inches with the only real soaker being the 26th with a damp 0.49 inches. El sol blazed the big blue sky for 20 days. The total rainfall for the month was a less than average 0.89 inches.

It was yet another month of paradise in our 75 days of summer. Alas, it is now September. The Autumn plunge is lurking on the near horizon. Tomorrow is Labor Day and we could see some showers, although the NWS suggests that is only a slight chance. The remainder of the week should be unsettled with scattered thunderstorms.

We will likely have a few warm to hot days as the first part of September fades to the latter half and we start to feel that fall chill. The plunge begins now with the historical average temperature for the 1st of September at 80 degrees and the average for the 30th is just a touch above 70. The 10 degree plunge is followed in October by a 14 degree drop, then November with her 11 degrees till we bottom out around the end of the year. It happens fast so get out and enjoy these last few 80s and maybe a bonus 90 before the plunge puts a chill on your outdoor activities. You know what to do. Soak it up my friends, soak it up :)