Weather Eye: Better weather on the way starting Friday

Clark County, for the most part, has escaped the brunt of the heavy rainfall that has lingered over portions of Western Washington to our north.

As of Wednesday evening, however, it was showing signs of slipping southward, and we were expected to get some heavy rain for a few hours early this morning.

As the cold front moves through today, the rain will shift to showers and much less windy conditions as well. Winds were gusting between 30 and 40 mph around the county Wednesday. Higher up, winds were reaching 100 mph at Timberline Lodge and 50 to 60 mph through the passes, where trees were toppling over.

Snow levels will drop to 1,000 feet or less by tonight, but the moisture will end at the same time.

The mountains are a mess with avalanches, mudslides and flooding. One station near Castle Rock measured nearly 9 inches of rain in just 12 hours Wednesday.

The heavy weather will become more on the tranquil side beginning Friday and lasting for at least five days.

No big cold spells or heavy rain or windstorms are on the horizon as high pressure resides to our south.

This will keep the jet stream that steers weather systems farther to the north into British Columbia.

While most readers refer to this as the Pineapple Express, weather forecasters are calling this a meteorological fire hose. The weather pattern resembles in many ways the flooding we experienced in November 2006.

Pat Timm is a local weather specialist. His column appears Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays. Reach him at weathersystems.com.