Sunny weather is finally back with us for a couple of days, although it will be chilly during the day with east winds in the exposed locations and overnight much of the county will dip to 20 degrees and even some areas in the teens. The appropriate attire will be a winter jacket, gloves and sunglasses. What a combination I’d say.
Now, the nitty gritty. We will transition out of this winterlike air mass in a few days but of course it can be a dicey situation. Sometimes, weather patterns gradually warm with no precipitation. More often, a coastal system slowly erodes the cold air layer before returning to mid-February norms, rain and highs around 50 degrees or so.
As I write this column Monday, at first glance it appears a storm arrives from the west off the Pacific but forecast models keep the brunt of it moving through Northern California and Southern Oregon. The cloud shield however is forecast to make its way up to the Columbia River.
In this case, the east winds will be howling and the air will be quite dry with low dew points. As moisture overrides the cold dome of air, much of it tends to evaporate before it reaches the ground. How many times have we gone through this scenario? Whatever amount of moisture we get looks to be on the light side at this time. Most likely snow changing to sleet and freezing rain before temperatures hover above 32 degrees.
