Weather Eye: Enjoy sunny skies before first fall rains arrive later in week

I believe we all feel better after some cleansing rainfall. Much of the smoke has retreated and our air quality Saturday was good. Take a deep breath, please. We’ll have a pleasant day today and Monday and most of Tuesday with partly sunny skies in the afternoon and as promised, yes, open your eyes, some true-blue skies overhead.

It will start to feel like autumn this week when it begins on Tuesday. Overnight hours are longer and with new moisture on the ground, fog may present itself but burn off later in the day. Highs will be in the low to mid 70s.

A series of weather fronts will approach on Wednesday and we will feel the first of the fall rains. The coast could see strong southerly winds later in the week. And so, it begins.

We continue the woolly bear saga. George Dechet saw one on Frambois Road and pulled over and measured. Yep, another wide band. Five-year-old Luke Olsen and his mother found one up in the Salmon Creek area and yes, another wide band. John Earnest located one two miles south of Dollars Corner and it was marginally wide.

Remember the only three reported that had narrow bands out east in the Camas area? Daphne Kivinen wrote me back and says maybe just Camas will be cooler this winter.

Other signs of fall — Steve Nelson noted the great horned owls are beginning to call early before sunrise and the stellar jays are flocking together, squawking and flying through the forest. Early winter perhaps?

John Earnest noted he hasn’t seen any yellow jackets yet. He doesn’t know what that may mean for the winter. Ellen Smart near the Ridgefield Wildlife Refuge reported the rains were a nice beginning and the soaking will sure perk the weeds up. She hasn’t seen a woolly bear yet as she has stayed inside due to the smoke and the woolly bears don’t come in the house often. She added, “Perhaps today.” Well, 2020 has been a crazy year. Maybe some folks will find one at their front door.

If La Nina pans out this winter, the polar jet will usher wet and cool weather our way. Plenty of snow in the mountains. I’ll chat about that again soon.