The weather has progressed as I thought with those marine clouds and cooler temperatures Tuesday and Wednesday. However, with clearing skies and a bit of an offshore flow of air, we should bounce back into the low 80s and stay there through Sunday, from what I can see at this point.
Will this upcoming short period of 80-degree days be our last for the year? Next week’s forecast charts indicate a cold weather system sliding down to our east; that may bring a few showers, but I think we’ll stay dry and much cooler.
Our average high for today is 68 degrees, and even if we were to manage a high of 85 degrees, it would be short of the record high of 89 degrees in 1952.
That cooler Canadian air early next week will undoubtedly bring fresh snow to the mountains of Montana, with frost in that state’s valleys. We’ll probably see overnight lows next week in the 40s, maybe the 30s in the far outlying locations. Winter is on the way, folks.
As I mentioned the other day, this weekend your weather forecast promises mild and dry weather for heading out to the pumpkin patch. Don’t put it off too long. Nothing worse than wading through the mud.
If you want to go for a drive, the mountains will have nice weather except for smoke to the south. The coastal beaches will be pleasant, with highs around 70 degrees. Any trips to the mountains or coast will offer a chance to view fall foliage, which is becoming brilliant in many areas.
While writing my column Wednesday afternoon, I looked at the Vancouver weather records for October and noticed a milestone of sorts. On Oct. 5, 2018, we had a record-cold high temperature of only 54 degrees. The previous record was 56 degrees in 1948, and our records go back a long way.
Meanwhile, the woolly bears are crawling around everywhere, it seems, showing us it could be a chilly winter. Weather observer Murphy Dennis on Rawson Road told me he has only grasshoppers and spiders!
We’ll chat on Sunday and look ahead to next week.
