Vancouver and other Clark County communities were drenched in the area’s first significant rainfall since late May.
Rain began soaking the county Friday night and was continuing to do so as of early Sunday evening. Lulls in the rainfall resulted in precipitation totals of less than half an inch, however.
On Saturday, Vancouver received 0.41 inch of rain, said National Weather Service meteorologist David Bishop.
There are no official totals available for the outlying communities in the county — Battle Ground, Camas, Ridgefield and Washougal, among others — but spots in the area saw around a quarter-inch to three-quarters of an inch of rain, Bishop said.
The wet weather continued Sunday, but the precipitation totaled about .01 inch as of late morning. The weather service predicted less than a tenth of an inch to fall by the evening.
The weekend turned out “pretty much like (forecasters) expected,” Bishop said.
Vancouver’s last measurable rainfall had been May 31, forecasters said.
A trough — an elongated area of relatively low pressure — brought an elevated level of moisture into the area, according to forecasters. Another weak, low-pressure system was approaching the Oregon and Washington coasts Sunday afternoon, but it was expected to dissipate before reaching land.
Moving into the week, a high-pressure system will likely move across the region on Monday and Tuesday, according to an NWS area forecast discussion.
“This will bring showers to an end later (Sunday and into Monday morning), followed by clearing and warming temperatures,” the discussion says.
Vancouver’s Monday forecast calls for partly cloudy skies with a high of 73 degrees. The Tuesday forecast says clear skies and sun will grace the city with a high of 80 degrees.
There’s another chance of rain for the area come Tuesday night. Those clouds are predicted to stick around through the following night, according to the weather service.
Most weather models looking further out are showing a “significant warming trend by next weekend,” the weather service said.
