Let the sunshine in. What can I say? Saturday was a perfect day, with mostly clear skies and temperatures where they should be for the date.
Our average high now is 70 degrees, and we will be at or above that through Wednesday. Can we make it to 80 degrees Wednesday? Skies will be partly sunny to mostly sunny, as some clouds may transverse the region at times.
Looking ahead, however, a cold trough of low pressure is still forecast to drop over us Thursday and hang around for the long holiday weekend. How wet and how cold are still up in the air, but the threat of gloomy weather exists.
It wasn’t all sunshine and roses for areas in Central and Eastern Washington on Saturday. The east slopes of the Cascades at Wenatchee had afternoon temperatures in the 40s and low 50s, with rain showers. Spokane down to Pullman was in the 40s, with rain and scattered thundershowers.
As I say many times, the Pacific Northwest is a great place to reside, with generally mild weather conditions. Take Colorado on Thursday and Friday: highs in the upper 80s, then a 60-degree drop in some areas, with up to 2 feet of snow. They sure need it, as severe drought conditions exist in the Rockies.
The extreme heat that hovered over the Southwest for so long has moved to the East Coast, with some temperatures 20 or 30 degrees above normal. Plenty of 90s to near 100 degrees triggered high power demands. In Colorado, that sudden cold and heavy, wet snow caused power outages.
Meanwhile, back in our little place in the world, the weather was calm. Lawn mowers were running, cars were getting washed, and gardeners were out pulling weeds. Neighborhood parks were also buzzing with activity. Finally, some pleasant spring weather. We love it.
Our longest stretch of days without measurable rain this year was March 24 through March 29 — six days. If we make it through Wednesday, we will tie that.
Well, the old saying goes that summer begins July 5. Enjoy the sunshine.
