Morning clouds lingered into the late afternoon Saturday under a deep layer of marine air. This general pattern will persist all week as a weak trough of low pressure decides to settle in for a while. That translates to morning clouds and afternoon sunshine with highs into the 70s or low 80s — depending, again, on just how soon skies clear.
No rain or thunder in the picture, just very quiet weather for midsummer. And speaking of thunder, Friday evening a very nice display of lightning took place over the Cascades and residents in east county could hear a few rumbles. I sat out on my deck for a spell and watched the light show — cheap entertainment, I guess.
Accompanying the thunderstorms over and east of the Cascades were rain, hail and plenty of dry lightning.
Did you hear about the record-setting hailstone found July 23 in Vivian, S.Dak.? It set a new U.S. record, at 8 inches in diameter and 1.94 pounds. The National Climate Extremes Committee of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration verified the hailstone. The previous record size was 7 inches in diameter, from a storm that fell on Aurora, Neb., in June 2003. The new record-holder is the oddest shape I have ever seen; there’s a photo at http://tiny.cc/fntqp.
