As of 5 p.m. Saturday, Vancouver has recorded only a trace of moisture officially this month. Add the last 29 days of July and you have a 50-day string of no measurable rainfall. There was, however, a small chance of showers last night and early today so that string could snap. Regardless, it has been dry and it appears that after today’s clouds and cooler temperatures, we will once again be warm, if only briefly.
I have to admit that one could sense a hint of fall in the air the past few days, with Friday morning lows dipping into the upper 30s in the Yacolt and Brush Prairie areas. Even Friday afternoon, the breeze felt a little fall-like. Most of the urban neighborhoods managed to remain in the upper 40s and low 50s, but that’s quite chilly for August.
Local weather observer Jim Knoll of Orchards passed along this tidbit Saturday: “Mark your calendars! Just 2,557 days from now, on Aug. 21, 2017, there will be a total eclipse of the sun crossing the entire United States, from Lincoln City and Newport, Ore., at 10:15 a.m. PDT to Charleston, S.C., at 2:46 p.m. EDT.”
The last total eclipse was in February 1979, but unfortunately skies around here were cloudy, and although daylight dwindled for a few minutes, you couldn’t see the sun go dark. Next time around, it will be in good old summer time so maybe a much better chance of clear skies! Unless, however, we are in the midst of a summer like this one.
