The last day of January in Vancouver went into the record books as a typical late January day with a high of 48 degrees and a low of 35 degrees. The average high and low for Monday was 49 and 35 degrees. The average daily rainfall was 0.15 of an inch but as of 5 p.m. only 0.01 of an inch made its way in the rain gauge. We ended up over one half-inch below average for the month.
We will continue to have a north to northwesterly flow of air this week, which equals cool and only slightly moist. Highs in the low to mid-40s and lows in the 30s. Snow levels remain low and if showers develop early Wednesday morning, we could see a mix of wet snow and rain to low elevations but nothing to fret about.
Another annual tradition arrives Wednesday as the groundhog comes into the limelight. Punxsutawney Phil is not expected to see his shadow back east if latest forecasts are correct. That would mean spring is not far away. It will be freezing when they pull him out of his home, and he may not be happy about that, so who knows. His weather prognostication ability is, well, not one of his best attributes and we’ll leave it like that.
The groundhog is always my reminder to watch “Groundhog Day” with Bill Murray. A tradition in my house since the film’s arrival in 1993. How many times have I watched it? Probably close to 40 times. How many Groundhog Days did he have to endure? One film source says 33 years and 350 days. Wow, that is a lot of the same weather to see over and over. I’m glad we enjoy a daily variety.
