Weather Eye: Rain, chilly temperatures continue in our forecast

A wild weekend in the Cascades is on tap where snowfall will be measured most likely in feet rather than inches between now and the end of St. Patrick’s Day. The heaviest snows will be in Oregon but our portion of the Cascades in southwestern Washington will enjoy fresh powder.

The air mass on Thursday was chilly. How about all those hail storms? They turned the ground white as they passed over Clark County. And I observed some graupel and snowflakes mixed in. When those icy showers arrived the temperatures plummeted into the 30s. Snow whitened our foothills.

How about those repeating rainbows too? One reader wrote me and asked if a rainbow was seen in a hail shower could you call it a hailbow? Yep that’s possible. If the ice is clear enough to cause the same light refraction then you could call it a hailbow. Most would default to the term rainbow. No matter each way is fine and lots of fun for weather watchers of all ages.

I have to tell you I see no changes in the weather pattern to help bring us warmer temperatures anytime soon. Highs will struggle to reach 50 degrees over the weekend and around 50 or so early next week.

The luck of the Irish on Monday will be as elusive as chasing rainbows for that pot of gold. We keep scattered showers in the forecast.

With the break in clouds late Thursday evening did you observe the almost full moon on the eastern horizon?

Technically the moon was at full illumination around the midnight hour. I tried to watch for the lunar eclipse from my vantage point but alas, clouds enjoyed my company instead. It was called the full worm moon. Perhaps for the robins that are feeding on the numerous nightcrawlers that are surfacing.

We will review February’s rainfall and snowfall next week so stay tuned for that review. This month’s extremes were a chilly 31 degrees on March 7 and 66 degrees on March 1.

Take care and watch out for those daunting early spring showers that may follow you on St. Patrick’s Day. A good weekend for indoor activities.