Weather Eye: Showers might not bring the precipitation our area needs

I hate to say it again folks but the rains we expected to be a possible soaker have dried up and that half-inch of rain may be down to a tenth of an inch or so. The main thrust will be over northwest Washington and we get the usual leftovers, it seems.

The moisture later today through early Saturday will be in the form of showers, so it is difficult to give a widespread overall projection of rainfall amounts. Some areas could get a good downpour if we get lucky and others not much at all. It will be cooler with scattered showers, especially Friday, with clearing periods.

Vancouver has had only .08 of an inch so far this month. Rainfall since the beginning of March is less than 2 inches now, which is quite unusual. The extended outlook for the rest of May appears to be mild and drier than average.

Mother’s Day is looking promising, with partly sunny skies and highs near normal, which is 67 degrees. Following Mother’s Day, we should enjoy warm and dry weather through midweek.

Easterly winds entered the Gorge Wednesday and finally reached Vancouver, pushing us into the 70s. It was 70 degrees or better along the northern Oregon Coast and south Washington coastline with east winds there, too.

Snowmelt continues at a fast pace and I see the snow on our foothills to the east disappearing quickly. I guess nature is shifting gears quickly into summer mode, albeit on the early side.

Lots of weather action in other parts of the U.S. as we sit things out on the sidelines. Yep, makes me glad I live in the Pacific Northwest.