The storm that moved inland on New Year’s Eve turned out to be a lackluster one with only a quarter-inch of rain for Vancouver. I expected an inch or more, but winds switched to a more westerly direction and we ended up with a rain shadow effect of the coastal mountains.
Heavy rain fell there and in the Cascades. In the foothills in east Clark County, most observers reported over an inch of rain. The meager rainfall did little to add to December’s rainfall, which ended up at 4.67 inches, 2.10 inches below average. The average mean temperature was 42.6 degrees, 2 degrees above average.
Considering that our average high for Jan. 1 is 46 degrees, that 55 degrees at 2 p.m. Wednesday in Vancouver felt almost like spring and was close to record territory. Quite unusual for early January. Last year on Jan. 1 we had a high of 37 degrees and a low of 28 degrees.
I received December’s rainfall report from Rob Star in Cougar, and he said it was only 14.59 inches compared to his long-term average of 20.15 inches. His total for 2019 was 79.83 inches, well below the average of 124.75 inches.
