Did you enjoy Thursday’s rain? It was refreshing. I love the scent of fresh rain after a dry period. That pleasant order is called petrichor, a term coined by Australian scientists in 1964 to describe the earthy smell associated with rain. It is when the moisture mixes with compounds like ozone, geosmin, plant oils and soil.
We received .47 of an inch of rain in the official gauge here in Vancouver as of Friday afternoon. Some observers in the foothills had a little more. It was nice, but I think some of my newly acquired plants and shrubs are requesting another drink, please.
Another weather system will arrive later today but deliver about half of what we had the last time around. Showers will linger about Sunday, but then we’ll dry out. Next week appears to be unsettled, with a chance of showers each day as the flow of air continues from the west. Anything that develops offshore is likely to increase the odds of rain. Some forecast models are keeping most of the rain in the latter part of the week into British Columbia.
As we have turned the corner from winter into spring, we reflect on the influence that El Nino had on our weather. The main storm track was well south of us for most of the winter; California had massive rain and mountain snows. The Cascades in Oregon varied from 75 percent to 90 percent of normal. The Cascades in Northern Washington were dismal at times, at 35 percent to 50 percent of normal. But we had some good storms as spring was approaching, and the snowpack is much better.
