Weather Eye: Warm spell, then clouds, light showers by week’s end

We enjoyed cooler temperatures Friday with a high of 76 in Vancouver. Clouds darkened the skies, but most of the smoke blew out.

Saturday we saw blue skies! The high was 80. The Washington Coast had clouds and light rain as a weak weather system skirted by to our north.

There was a risk of light rain in Clark County overnight, but skies should once again clear today. Beyond today, we warm up for a brief time with highs around 90 Monday and upper 80s Tuesday. East winds could bring smoke back our way.

I mentioned last week things still look rather dry but forecast models have oscillated a bit and now we are facing clouds and cool weather with highs struggling to reach 70 and light showers by Thursday and Friday. That could help suppress wildfires.

The last soaking rain was on June 15 with one half inch falling in Vancouver. The rest of the month looks drier and warmer than normal. I don’t think any of us would mind if that outlook was changed to cooler and wetter. If so, there is still plenty of time in late September and early October for a stretch of nice weather.

The plus side, if there is one, of smoke-filled skies are the awesome sunsets and sunrises. Did you see the full moon last week? It was blood orange. With a cold trough of low pressure later this week we could see a dusting of snow on the highest Cascade peaks. The first snow in fall is called termination dust in Alaska which means the end of summer.

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

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