Here we are in the middle of October, and nature continues its welcome with some decent dry days scattered among the usual fall rains. A weak weather system arrived late Friday, but the amount of rain was expected to be on the light side.
Another weather disturbance will visit us this afternoon, with less than a quarter of an inch of rain. Sunday may be a mostly dry day before yet another fetch of rain moves through. The middle of next week still appears to be mild and dry.
I don’t see any strong storms with heavy rain and winds in the offing anytime soon, so status quo. Pleasant October weather.
As of Friday, Vancouver’s average temperature was running nearly 5 degrees above normal. Rainfall was about average for the month so far.
Thursday was the anniversary of the 1962 Columbus Day windstorm, which moved through our region with winds over 100 mph. The storm was declared the nation’s worst natural disaster of 1962 by several insurance companies. The lowest barometer reading was 28.41 inches. Winds were clocked at 170 mph at Mount Hebo, 125 mph at Corvallis, Ore., 116 mph at Portland and 112 mph here in Vancouver.
With the sunny, blue skies Thursday afternoon, did you see the mantle of white on St. Helens and Mount Hood? Winter is still in the distance, but the giant weather machine is slowly gathering steam.
Snowfall in the Cascades in October is only a tease and generally melts quickly. November snow comes and goes, but December snows stay and grow. At least that is the old saying locally that I grew up knowing.
Many are hoping for an early ski season in November, but I cannot make any predictions at this point. There are too many variables at play, especially with El Nino knocking on our door this fall.
Some outlying areas have already seen their first frost, and for many of us, it won’t be long. The average first frost for much of the Clark County urban area is Oct. 17. I don’t see any chilly nights ahead, so meanwhile, enjoy the hazy days of autumn between the gentle rain showers.
