Weather Eye: Experts predict summer months will be ‘normal’

Looking out my window late Wednesday afternoon writing my column, I sure saw some dark threatening clouds scattered about the county. You may have observed a sprinkle or light shower especially over and near the foothills. Yep, another trough of low pressure was moving across Western Washington.

The scattered shower threat remains for a while today but as I alluded to earlier this week, any measurable rainfall should be on the light side. I wouldn’t complain if a shower came by since my garden is thirsty. The next chance for a shower would be Sunday but not enough to eliminate watering the lawn and garden duties.

With that outlook we continue to oscillate between high pressure and low pressure to retain the status quo. I mentioned earlier here that some forecast charts hinted of a warming trend sometime around the Fourth. If so, we would jump into the 90s. Other forecast charts say, whoa, not so fast, so as always, we wait and see what develops on the distant horizon.

Overall, experts predict that our summer months will be normal, meaning equal chances of above or below precipitation and temperatures. We may continue the trend of warm, hot, cool and so forth. We are ever so slowly transitioning into a La Nina pattern which will be in full control by later this autumn.

You have heard me over the years write that “normal” is a collection of extremes. If you average, say, all the high temperatures you end up what would be considered a “normal” high temperature for a certain period. Without strong indications of large stable global weather patterns keeping a strong ridge of high pressure anchored over us, that would make sense.

A rather tranquil summer. I would accept that compared to the adverse weather extremes lately observed across the United States.

Tuesday’s high temperature fell short of 90 degrees officially here in Vancouver at 88 degrees. We do have three 90-degree highs this year in the record books. In the advent of a quiet “normal” summer we will see if we reach a typical average of 15 to 20 days of 90 degrees or higher. Right now, the wildfire season remains somewhat quiet. Let’s hope so.