A breezy day in the neighborhood comes to mind while looking at the forecast for today. It includes the possibility of periods of steady rain, winds gusting to 70 mph along the coast and 40 to 45 mph locally, and as much as 2 feet of snow in the higher elevations of the Cascade Mountains.
It is probably not an acceptable forecast for everyone, but it is a good one for weather watchers or storm watching at the beach. Some heavy ocean swells might come with the storms, too.
For those who like a break in the action: Friday’s forecast calls for some sun breaks and puffy, white clouds.
Another storm is expected to hit later in the weekend. This one promises to be rather wet. Hopefully, it will not become a Pineapple Express — a warm, wet weather system that tends to melt the snow pack and can lead to flooding — as it develops from the southwest.
Perhaps, as spring break approaches, the weather might turn a bit drier. I wouldn’t count on it, however, as a predicted wet, La Niña spring reins. Springlike weather might last until early July this year. Isn’t that pretty typical?
The good news is that the rains could add to a healthy, late-season snow pack in the mountains. Even if we get a couple of warmer storms, like we did on Sunday, their effects should be temporary as snow levels continue to fall.
Vancouver’s rainfall total through Wednesday afternoon was 1.75 inches, well above average for the month. Rainfall totals just might stay above average throughout the month.
Gardener Thalassa Cruso might have summed it up best by saying, “March is a month of considerable frustration. It is so near spring and yet, across a great deal of the country, the weather is still so violent and changeable that outdoor activity in our yards seems light years away.”
Pat Timm is a local weather specialist. His column appears Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays. Reach him at http://weathersystems.com.
