Snow showers were in the forecast once again early today for our local foothill locations and many of us will see hail mixed in with the scattered showers. Thunder was reported around Clark County on Monday as the active cold front went through. Several lightning strikes were observed in the Battle Ground area.
As of 5 p.m. Monday, it was 50 degrees here locally and at Astoria, Ore., it was only 40 degrees with the cold air arriving. Unsettled weather more like late February or early March will continue until things settle down Thursday. Highs will still be some 10 degrees or so below average but may warm into the 60s Friday and Saturday.
Remember, I said maybe warm into the 60s. Most computer models favor a brief warmup before cooler and wetter weather heads our way. It is official now; El Nino will join us and govern our seasons as huge atmospheric and oceanic changes are occurring. This information was released by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration over the weekend.
What does this mean for us? It would signal that we would finally drift away from this cold and wet pattern with La Nina saying goodbye. I would expect by mid-May weather to return to some sort of normalcy with the usual warm late spring days and seasonal precipitation. Surprises would be fewer. Make any bets? Nope.
