‘Spring has sprung’ in Clark County as temperatures to hit 70s

Hey, has anybody seen my shorts?

After what seems like the third month of January, Vancouver and Clark County are in for some sweet payback this weekend. Can you believe a high of 72 on Saturday? And 75 by Monday?

Drop the umbrella and pick up the sunscreen!

Here’s what the National Weather Service in Portland had to say Thursday morning: “Spring has sprung, and we are swiftly spinning out of winter. The ridge of high pressure that has been on the horizon is building today, and we will see the persistent increase in temperatures through early next week.”

Here’s what we say: About time! According to weather data from Vancouver’s Pearson Field, it rained on 10 of the first 13 days in March. And it was darned cold, too, with an average temperature of only 43 degrees. That’s more than 3 degrees cooler than average. In fact, until Thursday, the daytime high hadn’t even reached 48 degrees this month.

Soon, all will be forgiven. Sunday’s high is supposed to reach 73 degrees.

By the way, with today’s high forecast at 67 degrees, we won’t break the March 15 record of 79 degrees set back in 1947. But it will be much nicer than last March 15, when the temperature reached only 52 degrees and it rained.

So wash your car. Mow the lawn. Walk the dog. But stay out of the Columbia River, where the water was a dangerous 44 degrees, or colder, Thursday.

All good things must end, of course. By Wednesday, daytime highs will sink by 10 degrees, and there’s a chance of rain in the forecast. But, oh, the next four days are going to be heavenly!