We had a bit of a break in the weather action Monday, which was quite welcome after the rainy weekend. As of 4 p.m. Monday Vancouver had 2.17 inches in the rain bucket, well ahead of seasonal averages for the first few days of December. Rain was close by, however, with a heavy band of moisture only miles to our west and northwest.
It was stormy along the Washington Coast on Monday with heavy rain and winds over 50 mph. The atmospheric river plume was centered to our northwest on Monday but will be with us all day today and into Wednesday. More rain is on tap later in the week, but this time the air mass will be colder and turn the rain in the mountains to snow.
Expect high avalanche danger after heavy snow and then heavy rains atop that and now back to snow by Thursday. Actually, this week will not be great for any outdoor activities unless wading through mud puddles brings one joy. Might see some ducks.
That warm southerly wind Monday pushed our afternoon temperatures well into the 60s. At the 4 p.m. observation in Vancouver, the high was 64 degrees, which broke the record for Dec. 4, which was 63 degrees in 2007. It was the warmest temperature in December since another 64-degree high in 2014.
