Weather Eye: May will return; rain possible, as are cooler temps

Our July weather will disappear and the real May weather will resume, with clouds and a chance of light rain or showers beginning later on Friday through most of next week. There will be some breaks between weak weather systems for dry and sunny weather, but I believe the 80-degree-plus summer temperatures will be on hold.

Another day in the 80s today and Friday before clouds increase from the south Friday. It will be warm and humid Friday, with thunderstorms a remote possibility, so stay tuned on that one.

So far this month Vancouver is running over 7 degrees above normal for the average mean temperature and rainfall is 1 inch below average. With an outlook for cooler and wetter conditions for a while we will adjust those unusual averages.

Vancouver’s monthly rainfall is only .11 of an inch, with many coastal communities receiving zero rainfall. The weather pattern shaping up for late Friday and Saturday will again bring the greatest chance of rain to the western valleys and little to the coast.

I saw a news report on TV Tuesday evening showing the ripening strawberries around the area. Way early this year, in fact some growers are saying the earliest ever. I hope rainfall next week is on the light side; we don’t need rotting berries in the field. And let’s hope there are enough pickers to help bring the berries to us.

I remember as a youth picking strawberries fretting about the weather and if I was going to get muddy or be thirsty in the dusty fields. Yeah, I had a weather eye way back then, too.

Of course this is the warmest spring on record so far and we like it. Other berries such as blueberries, blackberries and such are also benefiting from the warm weather and are in bloom.

So there you go, not a whole lot to talk about weather-wise, but enjoy it while you can and keep the memories of this warm sunny weather next week while enduring a temporary phase of back to normal!

Patrick Timm is a local weather specialist. His column appears Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays. Reach him at http://patricktimm.com.

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