Weather Eye: Muggy air from south not so golden

Folks were mentioning the humidity Friday and to a lesser degree Saturday as dew points were in the low 60s at one point. That is a measure of how much moisture is in the air and relates to the relative humidity that we feel.

Normally this time of the year we should have a dew point of 40-45 degrees or so. When it gets above 50 degrees we begin to feel that sticky feeling. Of course, nothing like many other locations around the country. Muggy you can call it.

We have a flow of air streaming up from California with mild temperatures and lots of humidity. That will increase tonight and bring more rain locally and scattered thunderstorms over the Cascades.

The entire upcoming week looks unsettled as a deep trough of low pressure sets up offshore. Bands of moisture will penetrate inland at times with mild overnight temperatures but highs on the cool side. It looks like maybe we can call this another Rose Festival type low pressure system. At least the timing is right. The outlook at this point for the Rose Parade on Saturday in Portland is for a chance of showers or rain.

That reminds me, someone the other day asked me what the difference is between showers and rain? Well, they both will get you wet but showers mean intermittent rain and rain implies steady rain. Usually we get a weather front that moves inland and we get four or five hours of steady rain followed by scattered showers.

Enjoy our first full week of June!

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