The lowlands were the last to clear Saturday morning as the higher elevations had blue sky and sunshine at sunrise. Low clouds and fog were present in most areas until the breakup between 10 a.m. and noon. Temperatures rose quickly into the low 70s with a gentle breeze.
Even the coast was clear, with afternoon temperatures near 70 degrees, and thermometers hit 80 degrees east of the Cascades.
Today will be nice again with highs a bit higher, into the upper 70s and maybe an 80 here and there. The average date for our first 80 degree day of the year is May 8 or so; the last two years, we had to wait until June to reach that magical number.
Monday’s afternoon highs will be well above average and as the week progresses we will cool down, with increasing chances of showers.
Speaking of rainfall, our monthly total to date is 2.46 inches, about a third of an inch above average. The average mean temperature is a little below normal, at 50.6 degrees.
We enjoyed our third dry, sunny weekend in a row, and though computer forecasts show showers and cool for late in the week, there is a hope of higher pressure by the weekend. Could we see a fourth?
With clear, skies Saturday night, darkened by the new moon, perhaps you stepped out for the peak of the Lyrid meteor shower. Those meteors are dust particles from the Comet Thatcher colliding with the earth’s atmosphere at speeds of 110,000 mph. You could expect about 10 to 15 per hour, with random bursts of up to 100 per hour.
Patrick Timm is a local weather specialist. His column appears Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays. Reach him at http://weathersystems.com.
