I usually say, about this time of the month, that it is hard to believe another month has gone by but it does seem they all just fly by. November was an interesting month weather-wise, with a number of surprises. We’ll check the local rainfall reports soon.
The rest of this week looks like we’ll have a chance of rain most days and temperatures running at or below seasonal averages. Highs will be mostly in the low- to mid-40s with lots of snow in the mountains.
I had more than one reader e-mail this weekend with a question about our early cold snap and snowfall.
Theissa Johansen had this to say: “I have lived in Clark County my whole life and it seems to me that if we have snow before Christmas, we don’t seem to have any more for the rest of the year. How true is that?”
Well, if you look back through the record books, it’s true that many years when we have an early snowfall, the rest of the year is quite barren of snow.
I have a gut feeling, however, that with this year’s strong La Niña, we will have more arctic outbreaks with their threat of snow.
Now that many have had somewhat of a white Thanksgiving, how are our chances for a white Christmas? Well, as I just said, the odds are quite low, but I do think we will certainly get more arctic-like cold this winter.
Meanwhile, very cold air remains in areas of central and eastern Washington and with incoming moisture today, it could be quite a wintry mix — even, once again, in the Gorge as east winds drift westward.
Yes, we’ve had an early start to winter and we are still in the autumn mode of things.
Pat Timm is a local weather specialist. His column appears Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays. Reach him through the e-mail link at http://weathersystems.com.
