Weather Eye: May ends just as we expect: Highs in the 70s

Are you enjoying our roller coaster ride on the giant weather wheel? A string of cool days, a string of hot days, a string of warm days, and now we spend the rest of the month in what I would call the comfortable zone.

Highs today through the end of the month will be in the 70s, which is what we usually expect for the last several days of May.

For us weather and climate folks, the first day of the meteorological summer is Thursday, June 1. I think it is safe to say we won’t add any more rainfall to the month’s total of .94 of an inch. We are about 1.25 inches below average. The beginning of June appears to continue the dry weather pattern.

Unless we get a good soaking rain in the next two weeks, I am beginning to think our dry summer season has already begun. Watering and irrigation are a must now, and I can see the countryside and forests are drying out already. We try not to think about the wildfire season this summer. Many public lands in our state and Oregon have fire restrictions. Yes, it is early for that.

Vancouver has logged in 11 days with highs over 80 degrees, and that includes five 90-degree days. The hottest was May 13. (Do I have to mention the coolest day? Oh, all right. It was only 55 degrees on May 4.)

Thanks to the warm days this month and mild overnight temperatures, we are running 5.3 degrees above average so far this month. Warm and somewhat dry.

Expect this week to have occasional morning clouds and afternoon clearing, which of course determines the high temperatures. An earlier breakup of clouds means warmer high temperatures; clouds lingering into the afternoon results in cooler weather. This is the usual pattern for most of June, and it looks like the last days of May will synchronize with June’s character.

Other than that, there is not much to note here other than I don’t see any hot weather on the horizon. Overall, we’re in a quiet weather pattern, with no worries until further notice.

I wish you a meaningful and respectable Memorial Day.

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