I was day dreaming the other day about our string of nice weekends and the puffy clouds, thunder and hail in between. What a variety of weather we enjoy. That brought to mind a column I wrote 10 years ago on April 28, 2002 that really sums it up. It went like this:
“Someone once said that there is no such thing as bad weather, only different kinds of good weather. That may be up for debate especially when disaster strikes, however, by and large for everyone that wants the sun to shine, there are those who wish a little rain would fall.
“The nice thing about living in the Pacific Northwest is that there is such a varied contrast of weather and climate. There is something for everyone and if you don’t like the weather just wait a little while and it will change. And change it does. There is another old saying in this neck of the woods that my father told me at an early age. ‘To predict weather in the Northwest, you have to be a newcomer or a darn fool.’
“With the huge Pacific Ocean to the west, mountain ranges to the east and a myriad of microclimates in between, forecasting the weather is indeed a challenge. Native Northwesterners and longtime residents have a pretty good handle on what to expect and what signs to heed. Meteorologists generally have a good idea what the weather will be, but sometimes the timing is off a bit. Satellite pictures may show us the clouds coming our way, but what is it doing under those clouds? That is the big challenge for weather forecasters. We give it our best shot.”
