I am writing today’s column from the Southern Washington coast on Saturday afternoon, and let me tell you: If I didn’t know it was early June, I would believe it to be mid-winter.
The winds were blowing the moderate to heavy rain sideways at gusts up to 40 mph from the south. Even the seagulls were grounded.
Checking conditions Saturday in Vancouver, I saw light rain was falling but winds were still light out of the east, blowing toward the large storm off the coastline. I expected the storm would move through the county overnight, with the heaviest rains and strongest winds occurring then.
Today, we’ll still have rain showers and a good chance of thunderstorms, with partial clearing between the showers.
This time of year, despite colder air streaming southward from the Gulf of Alaska, our afternoon temperatures remain in the 60s. It also helps that we are on the warm side of the jet stream.
After the rain subsides on Monday, skies will clear and we’ll get back to the mid- to upper 70s for most of the week. Dry conditions should prevail, but forecast charts want to bring us more rain by Friday and over next weekend.
On the bright side, we finally reached the 80-degree mark on Thursday, with an 80-degree high officially in Vancouver. We almost made it on Wednesday, with 79 degrees. Thursday’s high was the warmest since Sept. 25, 2021. It felt good, didn’t it?
A Facebook memory popped up Friday. I’d mentioned back on June 4, 2009, that Vancouver had 40-mph wind gusts, moderate rain, and at least four funnel clouds observed in the Clark County and Portland areas. June can get feisty.
With a chance of thunderstorms today, if the air gets unstable enough, we could see funnel clouds scattered about. It’s unlikely but always possible with the cold air advection that will be over us today.
Meanwhile, here at the coast, I have a fire in the stove. The dog is buried under the blankets on the couch. I’m in my pajama bottoms, and the rain is ever increasingly pounding on my windowsill. It will be a lazy evening inside the house for me. No walk on the beach or beautiful sunset on this Saturday evening.
