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News / Clark County News

Weather Eye: August has been an up-and-down roller coaster

By Patrick Timm
Published: August 5, 2015, 5:00pm

Pleasant weather Wednesday with near-perfect afternoon temperatures hovering near the 80-degree mark. That sounds ideal but is a few degrees below the average for this time of the year. Vancouver reached 77 degrees for a high, and I recorded 79 degrees here in Salmon Creek.

Looking back at the first five days of August, I have recorded highs of 98, 80, 85, 84 and 79 degrees. An up, down, up, down kind of weather. That pattern will continue for a while, although nothing near as hot as Saturday’s 98 degrees.

We warm a bit today and rise to the mid-80s Friday before another cool-down over the weekend. Beyond that, computer forecast models differ, but I would guess it would be at least partly sunny with highs bouncing between 78 and 85 degrees.

One fly in the ointment is a series of low-pressure systems have been moving through southern British Columbia, which will be the main reason our temperatures will be up and down. One low passed by to the north Wednesday, with Everett at only 63 degrees and light rain at 5 p.m. Light rain showers were scattered around the northern portion of Washington.

We will see a repeat of that this weekend. There is the outside chance a stray shower could make it down to Clark County. The coast, Cascades and locations north of Longview stand the best chance of some raindrops. However, any moisture will be on the light side.

The warm ocean waters are playing havoc with the fisheries off our coast. The state closed more shoreline this week to crabbing because of the toxic algae blooms. I noticed some large patches of algae yesterday along the Columbia River from Marine Drive near Portland International Airport.

Officials say that the number of acres burned by wildfires is less than last year at this time. We still have a ways to go and with any increase in lightning that could jump up. Hoping for rain this weekend.

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

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