I actually saw someone cutting their lawn Monday under sunny skies. Let’s see what month is this? Oh yes, early February. I am sure glad grass doesn’t need mowing -- too much moss, ha ha!

The fair weather will remain for a few more days, although each day may see more clouds and maybe some showers along the coast. By the weekend it appears the high pressure will depart and we will go back to more seasonal weather. Which should mean plain old rain, but we shall see.

Very strong winds gusted over 70 mph in the Gorge on Monday, and it was on the blustery side elsewhere. Afternoon temperatures bumped 60 degrees in some neighbors and were pushing 70 degrees in some locations on the Oregon Coast. It just doesn’t get much better than this.

It was really frosty at my home in Salmon Creek early Monday, with temperatures in the mid-20s. But only blocks away, where the wind was blowing, it was 50 degrees. Got to love the microclimates around here.

Meanwhile, parts of Europe are having the coldest winter in more than 40 years. Snow was even falling in parts of Algeria in Northern Africa. Snow blanketed much of the Mediterranean and Italy had thousands without power due to heavy, wet snowfalls.

Denver had record snowfall Feb. 2-4, causing all kind of havoc, while Alaska still is in the deep freeze. Bethel, Alaska, where records go back 62 years, has recorded this January as the coldest January ever. The average mean temperature was minus 17.3 degrees. The warmest was in 1985 with 25.7 degrees, a difference of 43 degrees between the coldest and warmest January since 1951.

So far, not much rain this month only a scant .02 of an inch on the first day of the month. We will see if the last couple of weeks make a dent in that department.

Enjoy the rest of your week, everyone.

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

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