Clouds from thunderstorm activity drifted over the western valleys Wednesday afternoon, and I noticed some virga below some darkened clouds. Virga is moisture that is falling but evaporating before it reaches the ground. The word is derived from Latin, meaning twig or branch. There was a small chance of scattered thundershowers last evening, but just enough activity to raise some eyebrows on the west side.
East of the Cascades, however, a red-flag warning for extreme fire danger was up for Eastern Oregon and parts of Eastern Washington. Flash flood warnings were also up Wednesday afternoon for the east slopes of the Washington Cascades in anticipation of these thunderstorms. Wet lightning is better than dry lightning, but heavy downpours can wreak havoc, too. When it rains, its pours, as the old saying goes.
I will be humble in my words, but it is nice to see that the chance of thunder activity mentioned here days ago did indeed materialize on Wednesday. With various forecast models to go by, choosing the correct one is sometimes a challenge. Also, my gut feeling is factored in there.
Other than that, no hot weather coming our way, with temperatures slowly dropping into the 70s as we head toward the weekend. Cooler air will push inland from the coast, with more morning clouds and quite pleasant afternoon highs. If you want hot, go to the east side.
