Weather Eye: Showers in our forecast all week

Rain was sure slow in inching its way inland from the coast Saturday. It rained pretty much most of the day along our ocean beaches, with a third to one-half inch of rain.

Here in Vancouver only a couple of hundredths of an inch were in the rain bucket as of 5 p.m. Saturday. However, looking at the radar at 5 p.m., there was plenty of rain just to our west. Looking ahead this week, a chance of showers is in the forecast each day.

We may be dry all day Tuesday, though. Highs will be in the low to mid-60s, a bit below average. I don’t see an extended period of dry, warm weather or even hot weather. Memorial Day weekend looks to start out partly sunny and with highs near normal.

I checked our monthly statistics Saturday, and we are about 2 degrees above average on the temperatures and right at average in rainfall.

OK, since we are lacking in the rainfall department for this month, let’s review some rainfall from your friends and neighbors for April. Claudia Chiasson, Carson, 2.31 inches; Rob Starr, Cougar, 5.92 inches; Robin Ruzek, Lake Shore, 1 inch; Tyler Mode, Battle Ground, 1.58 inches; Judy Darke, Felida, 1.26 inches; Ellen Smart, Ridgefield, 1.20 inches; Bob Mode, Minnehaha, 1 inch; Jim Knoll, Five Corners, 1.59 inches; Chuck Houghten, Hockinson Heights, 2.09 inches; Dave Campbell, 1 mile west of Heisson, 1.83 inches; Irv St. Germain, Prune Hill, 1.96 inches; Larry Lebsack, Barberton, 1.93 inches; and Bill Sobolewski, Livingston Mountain, 1.97 inches. The official rainfall for Vancouver was less than an inch at 0.91 inch, 2.10 inches below average. That’s the driest April in at least 26 years.

Chuck Houghten reported it was his driest in at least 28 years. We all know well enough that April was way on the dry side. Keep watering. In the wettest area around here, in Cougar, Rob Starr reported that his water-year rainfall total for Oct. 1 through April 30 was 68.89 inches. Normally, he would have measured 121.63 inches.