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Weather Eye: Fall’s first full day might be damp, but then 80s in store?

The Columbian
Published: September 23, 2010, 12:00am

The first full day of autumn according to the calendar will be daunted with a chance of showers and plenty of cloudiness. A tad worse than the first full day of summer where it was dry and we had a run of nine or 10 days without any measurable rainfall. However, after today, we could have a run of dry days to start the autumn season off on a welcome note.

There is one disclaimer in the extended forecast that bears watching. The storm track may remain well north of Clark County, and with a southerly flow we could easily see 80 degrees once again. If, however, the jet stream were to sag farther south, well, clouds and a chance of showers could increase. We’ll think positive and go for dry weather.

In the Eastern Pacific, a very quiet and record-setting hurricane season is occurring. As of early this week, there have been six named storms, three hurricanes and two strong hurricanes, about half of the expected average.

If you think it rains here in our mountains, take a nod at this: During the recent attack of Typhoon Fanapi on Taiwan, 4.6 feet (not inches) of rain was deluged on the interior mountains. More rain in one single storm than Battle Ground or Brush Prairie get all year.

OK, to clear up the term Indian summer. Technically, Indian summer describes a period in the fall season of warm and dry weather after the first killing frost. It is usually associated with the turning of the leaves into their autumn brilliance and before the first snow. This usually occurs locally in October, as the average first frost runs around the middle of October in much of the urban area.

This Saturday from 1 to 4 p.m., the Oregon Chapter of the American Meteorological Society will meet at Stark Street Pizza Co. in Portland and talk about the weather. The public is invited to join in!

Pat Timm is a local weather specialist. His column appears Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays. Reach him at http://weathersystems.com.

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