Weather Eye: Two hot days before temperatures moderate

Today and Friday will be the warmest days this week as high pressure and a slight offshore flow of air will push the thermometer near 90 degrees both days. A little cooler on Sunday, in the low 80s.

Then another weather system skirts by to the north, as we have seen before this month, and brings some clouds, possible drizzle and cooler temperatures. We remain near 70 degrees or a little above through midweek. Not too bad of a forecast I’d say.

So far this month in Vancouver we have had one high temperature in the 60s, seven in the 70s, four in the 80s and one day in the 90s. Perhaps we add another 90-degree high coming up, we’ll see.

The official start of fall is about a week from now but the cooler air mass scheduled for early next week may bring the first hard freezes in Eastern Washington. I expect if the pattern materializes, we will see overnight lows in the 20s, maybe upper teens in the northeast corner. Some forecast models hint of this. That would usher in the feeling of autumn to residents east of the mountains for sure. Frost on those pumpkins!

Locally we have already seen lows countywide in the 40s and a few upper 30s, but no frost yet. The average first frost for areas north of downtown Vancouver are usually mid-October and sometimes in November for the city.

Last year Vancouver had the first freezing low temperature on Nov. 9. Last year we had a warm fall season with highs in the mid-80s into mid-October.

Two years ago, we had a couple of days with heavy rain on Sept. 18 and 19. Nearly 3 inches of rain was recorded.

It is too early for the fall rainy season to set in so don’t despair if we get a couple of showery days the last half of the month. There’ll be more nice days coming our way. Looking at the record books for Vancouver, I see 90-degree record days through the end of September. The last 90-degree day of the season in Vancouver was the first day of October when it was 90 degrees in 1988.

I haven’t changed my apparel on the coat rack yet, but sweater weather is around the corner. Oh, and maybe the rain slicker and umbrella. Take good care.