Well, we finally did it. Broke our dry spell of 14 days with nearly a quarter-inch of rain as of 4 p.m. Saturday here in Vancouver. Our last measurable rainfall had been 0.04 inch Oct. 25.
Rainfall amounts were consistent from Vancouver north to the border with about a quarter-inch along the I-5 corridor as of late afternoon. Why did it rain when forecasts played it down, you may ask? Especially after looking at forecast models that indicated no rain well into next week? The guidance we followed said the rain would stay to our north and along the coast.
The 10 or 20 percent chance of rain developed into a 100 percent chance, for sure. The models had been struggling the past week trying to break down the massive high pressure off the coast. With it being unusual for November, there was some difficulty. Persistence isn’t always a good call in the weather business.
So we dry out today and Monday, and another low pressure slides through on Tuesday with perhaps another shot of rain on the light side. Then dry in the Wednesday/Thursday time frame, but finally maybe our normal progression of weather systems and rain begins the end of the upcoming week.
Freezing levels remain high over 6,000 feet, so rain in the ski areas. That places us in the week before Thanksgiving. Hopefully, the moisture keeps streaming in and snow levels lower enough to open some ski runs. It is possible.
