I came out of the grocery store in Salmon Creek on Friday and sat in my car, enjoying the warm sunshine that filtered inside the vehicle. It was cozy, to say the least, as I tried to remember that it was mid-December.
Can it be?
The monsoons earlier this month are now a distant memory in my mind as I wonder about the ever- changing ways of weather. I dove deep into the computer forecast charts Friday afternoon and saw that we are settled in a placid weather pattern, with only drips and drizzle on the horizon most likely clear to New Year’s. No windstorms, no snow or ice storms or any extremes to speak of. But hey, that’s OK with the active holiday season.
Government officials are still predicting above-normal temperatures for the rest of the month — and January and February, too. Of course, that does not rule out colder days with fog or a few short-lived cold intrusions from the north. It also appears we will trend more dry than wet.
I discovered that NOAA is labeling the current El Nino among the five strongest events since 1950, and it is still intensifying. With the current situation in the mountains, that could spell disaster in many ways. Beside the fragile ski season, if the overall weather pattern persists, we would face serious water problems in the Pacific Northwest.
