Monday was a perfect winter day with clear skies, breezy winds and highs in the mid-40s, just about an average January day. Oh really? The temperatures were about normal but hey, what about the rainfall? Day by day we go deeper into another month with below-average rainfall.
Wednesday we see clouds increase and some light showers perhaps later in the day and a rainy period through the weekend. Will that help? Yes, but the following week looks like it may go back to what we have grown accustomed to lately — clear skies, sunshine and easterly winds.
For those of you in calm nighttime conditions, you saw temperatures dropping well into the 20s. In the windy areas along the river into the 30s. Typical pattern. As those east winds blow all the way to the ocean beaches, afternoon temperatures were in the 55- to 60-degree range. As east winds travel and drop in elevation the air condenses and actually warms up. Delightful weather at the coast.
The air in the Columbia River Basin is cold in the lower 4,000 feet or so as winds push upward against the Cascades, causing low clouds and fog. The sun angle is still low enough that it cannot burn the clouds off. That is why the air through the Gorge into Clark County feels so chilly. For the first 14 days of this month we have had six nights with freezing or below low temperatures. Plenty of 50-degree-plus days, though, to counter that, so we are running 1.6 degrees above average.
