Weather Eye: Friday morning drizzle will give way to hot, dry weekend

Welcome to the first day of August and our last full month of summer. I hope you have been enjoying the weather, because overall it has not been bad. As mentioned Tuesday, a weak weather system will slide over us on Friday and, as a result, it now looks like some light rain will fall.

I don’t expect much: about a tenth of an inch or less — enough to settle the dust perhaps, but nothing else. If you’re going to the Clark County Fair on Friday, expect the greatest chance of rain in the morning with partial clearing in the afternoon.

The heat gets turned on over the weekend with highs in the mid 80s Saturday and near 90 Sunday, so plan accordingly with your outdoor activities this weekend.

Next week, temperatures settle down close to average in the low 80s. That hot, dry high pressure over the Great Basin will only give us a small fling of heat Sunday and then pull back on Monday.

The next few days are climatologically the warmest and driest for our local area.

However, on this day in 2002, the National Weather Service in Seattle issued a special weather statement for most of the state: “A series of unseasonably cool and moist weather systems will move across the state. In this unusual weather pattern, it is recommended that people pay close attention to weather conditions and latest forecasts. Small craft need to be on the lookout for gale conditions over inland waters. Be prepared for wintry conditions if you are planning travel to the higher mountains. Snow levels Sunday through Tuesday could drop below 6,000 feet causing dangerous conditions on higher trails and mountains.”

I remember that time period well. We had rain and it seemed like the cool, wet weather would last forever. Of course, it didn’t, but it was extremely unusual to get snow in the mountains in the first days of August.

The rain tonight and early Friday will pass. Then, we get a nice summer weekend.

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