Weather Eye: Fair weather today and Monday before rain returns

After some frosty conditions early Saturday, we managed to enjoy sunny skies in the afternoon and temperatures inching into the low 50s. Goodness, the blue skies and sunshine and a couple days of no measurable rain can really improve one’s mood, can’t they? It’s not quite warm enough for spring fever, but wait until we get our first 70-degree day. Then it will be.

The first five days of March have been a mixed bag, with 1.07 inches of rainfall in the gauge — more than one-half inch above average. We’ll keep it dry for a couple days. Our average temperature is running 4 degrees above average, so no complaints there.

We will have fair weather once again today and Monday, and then clouds and rain will return Tuesday and Wednesday. It appears that we’ll dry out Thursday and Friday, so there is your week’s weather.

Expect highs in the mid-50s for mid-week and beyond. Snow will fall in the Cascades with that weather system Tuesday and Wednesday — some nice fresh powder for the slopes. Remember, our average high now is 56 degrees, so we should be topping that much more often.

When rain arrives in a couple of days, remember what Henry Wadsworth Longfellow said long ago: “The best thing we can do when it’s raining is to let it rain.” And rain it will.

Spring is getting ready to burst, with bulbs fully budded and beginning to flower and colorful tree buds just waiting for a warm, sunny day. When it happens, there will be an explosion of spring in the air. Maybe some pollen, too.

Let’s hope the rest of this month behaves itself. Do you remember March 2017? We had only four dry days and over 7 inches of rain! As I often say, March is a fickle month — changing frequently, erratic, unpredictable, with spring-like weather one day and winter-like weather the next.

Ah, I enjoyed the sunshine peeking through my window while writing this column Saturday. Waiting for more today and Monday.

Take care, and we will chat on what will most likely be a rainy Tuesday.