February was initially forecast to be warm and drier than average. Well, we have the warm part of it but certainly not the dry part. More than 3 inches of rain had fallen officially in Vancouver so far this month as of 2 p.m. Saturday. More moderate rain was in the forecast today and Monday, tapering off Tuesday.
I guess the dry part will slide into view later this week as high pressure builds over the Pacific Northwest. Good thing. The entire West Coast needs a few days to dry out and recover from the wetness.
The heaviest rains this go-around were in California, with massive flooding and mudslides. They sure needed the rain, just not all at once. Heavy rain fell south of us in Oregon and also north of us. So it may have seemed quite heavy here in Clark County, but other locations had much more.
Unfortunately, freezing levels were quite high with rain in the mountains. They might get a dusting Monday night or Tuesday but still at higher levels. As the high pressure moves inland this week, we go back to an inversion with warmer temperatures in the mountains and at the coast than in some valley locations. Not good. Last year at this time we were in a deep freeze with plenty of snow for everyone even here in the lowlands.
