Weather Eye: Today looks like another gray December day

Saturday got off to a chilly start, with early frost in the outlying areas. Clouds moved in after sunrise as a weak cold front approached the area, and we had some mist, drizzle and, around 4 p.m., light rain. Amounts were expected to be on the light side — about a tenth of an inch.

As of 5 p.m. Saturday, Vancouver had recorded .04 of an inch, the first measurable rain in December so far.

Brief southerly winds pushed the thermometer from the upper 30s and low 40s to 50 degrees at 5 p.m., but the cold front was quite narrow. Winds would switch around from the northwest, and temperatures would drop back into the 30s overnight. Saturday was a gray, damp December day, and we should see another one today.

More clouds will arrive later today and overnight as a stronger cold front from the Gulf of Alaska arrives and provides a decent rainfall. It should finally begin dumping snow in the ski areas. The entire week looks cool and unsettled, with showers or light rain here in the lowlands and snow in the mountains. I expect about 2 feet of snow in the higher ski areas by next weekend.

The lower foothills to our east will see snow at times down to 1,000 feet as the freezing level oscillates up and down. We might see snowflakes down to 500 feet by the end of the week. It’s not really a “snow watch” for us at city levels, but we are getting closer.

As that cold front entered Western Washington, a few locations near Bellingham and Hoods Canal had some wet snow mixed in with the rain. Central and Eastern Washington had snow covering the ground in some locations. It will come and go over there this week as colder air filters inland with each weather disturbance. It is that time of the year — nothing unusual for our eastside friends.

Vancouver had an average mean temperature of 55.4 degrees for November, well above the 53-degree normal. There were only three days with freezing temperatures recorded.

Wear your winter attire this week.