Weather Eye: Well known for surprises, March isn’t done just yet

The clouds rolled in as expected Wednesday afternoon, and as I write this column, I see some drizzle beginning to fall from the skies. So far, it’s been uneventful, as mentioned here on Tuesday, kind of like a heavy beach drizzle: high pressure but partly sunny weather and highs at 60 degrees or better.

Clouds lingered longer than I thought on Tuesday, so we fell short of that 70-degree high that was dangling before us. We did manage 67 degrees, which was most pleasant for most of us.

I certainly don’t see a chance of 70 degrees the next several days. If we had reached 70, I was going to discuss when our first 80-degree day may happen. We’ll table that topic for now, I’m afraid.

Forecast charts show a mixed bag this weekend, with an increased chance of rain after two dry days on Thursday and Friday. We may see a more dry than wet weekend, with the greatest chance of rain Sunday. Next week may turn unsettled, with more of these April-like showers.

I just realized that April arrives a week from Friday, and March goes into the climate record books. Where does the time go, anyway?

We usually have at least one day of 70 degrees in March, but maybe not this year. It is not unusual to see an 80-degree day by the middle of April. If I recall correctly, the past few egg hunts on the Saturday before Easter have had pleasant spring weather.

Last March at this time, we had reached only 64 degrees as a high temperature — the warmest of the season. However, we had a big surprise and reached 70 degrees on the last day of the month. This winter, we recorded 68 degrees in February.

The chances of reaching 70 degrees by next Thursday are slim, but maybe we’ll have another surprise. March is well known for surprises.

Take good care, and we’ll chat on Sunday.

Patrick Timm is a local weather specialist. His column appears Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays. ptimmwriter@gmail.com