Weather Eye: Weather’s normal, and extended forecast is uncertain

I would say the weather is getting back to normal with rain in the lowlands and snow in the mountains, the cold east wind replaced by milder Pacific air.

Nothing really exciting is on the horizon — more showers today and a dry day Monday, then more showers Tuesday. Travelers heading east over the passes will have no problem Tuesday or Wednesday getting to their Thanksgiving destinations.

Thanksgiving may be really nice, with sunshine and mild temperatures.

I’m not totally confident in the extended range as there is a not a lot of consensus among computer forecasting models. Coming back over the weekend over the passes may be dicey if one follows certain models and no worry with others. Best to always plan ahead and then listen for updates.

This month has not been so kind for the mountain ski areas — wet and mild, then cold and dry. The upper ski areas may get enough this weekend to have limited service by Thanksgiving — as long as rain doesn’t fall Tuesday and turn things mushy.

So, how is Vancouver weather this month? As of 5 p.m. Saturday, 1.71 inches of rain was in the gauge, 2.40 inches less than average. The average mean temperature is 43.6 degrees, four degrees below average.

With temperatures expected to be near or slightly above normal the last week of the month, I would expect to end up with an average mean temperature still below normal. Unless we get a good downpour or two by next Sunday, we will end up below average on the rainfall. We’ll see.

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