We reached 70 degrees here in Vancouver at 5 p.m. Saturday, making it our second day with a high of 70 degrees or better this month. The other day was May 4, with a high of 75 degrees.
We did get some moderate rains Friday night into Saturday morning. The monthly total so far in May as of 5 p.m. Saturday was 2.97 inches. Compare that to our annual average for the entire month of May: 2.51 inches.
Although we have another warm day today, cooler and wetter weather returns by midweek. The outlook for the next 10 days, beginning Monday, calls for much lower temperatures and still more rain.
Sound familiar? Yep, back to the cool and wet weather.
Experts say a stronger late-winter La Niña hanging around is causing the cold and wet spring weather. It is the coldest spring since 2011, and for Vancouver, it is inching up to be included in the top 10 coldest on record.
Oddly enough, May is Wildfire Awareness Month, and despite the cold and wet weather, it is always good to prepare for the summer wildfire season — especially for those of you living in the outlying reaches of Clark County and in the dense wooded areas.
We all hope to have a relatively quiet fire season. Areas in Southern Oregon and in the desert Southwest will be a tinderbox.
Freezing levels are high this weekend, at about 8,000 feet, but will drop to 3,000 feet later this week as another cold pool of air drops down from the Gulf of Alaska over us.
Vancouver’s average temperature so far this month is 52.1 degrees. Compare that to a normal of 56.5 degrees.
Our average high is 60.4 degrees, compared to a normal of 66.7 degrees. Ouch! So much for getting a suntan.
You have today through Tuesday to get outdoor chores like mowing the lawn accomplished. Wednesday’s storm could be a soaker.
Take care.
