The Weather Cafe ® by Rufus

Written by Rufus La Lone since 1994.

Delightful PNW Easter

Posted by Rufus La Lone on

Monday March 25
March will ‘roar’ one more time, then go out like a lamb.  Let’s check it out.
Hit & miss showers today, less so tomorrow.  Cool temps both days.  Late Tue evening, the next ‘roar’ of March will begin to impact the PNW.  Rain increasing, WIND and mountain snow on tap for both Wed & Thu Mar 27,28.  Precip amounts will range from 1/2” - 3/4” in the lowlands (likely less over the Puget Sound); more than that for the coast, coast ranges and Cascades (mostly snow above 3,000-5,000 ft).
Good Friday is trending drier, with very few showers here & there, as the March ‘roar’ heads south into California for a wet Easter weekend.  Around the PNW, temps will rise and clouds will clear away presenting a delightful weekend & blessed EASTER morning.  Temps could tease the upper 60s on Easter Day.  March exits as a Lamb.
Next week will start out dry, as the next shot of chills and rain/showers is now charting to arrive mid-week, rather than Fri Apr 5.  April Fool’s Day will be pleasant.  Late Tue the clouds will increase and temps will being to cool again.  Wed, Thu & Fri, Apr 2-5, look quite damp & chilly.
The weekend of Apr 6,7 is trending mixed, with Sat being the drier of the two days.  Not very warm outside.  California will have yet another wet, blustery weekend.  All indications are for a wet week Apr 8-12.  Warmer, though.  
For those heading to TX and the Midwest for the Total Solar Eclipse —> wx on Monday April 8 is looking as clearing over TX, cloudy & wet the farther to the NE on the Total Eclipse path one stations that day.  That storm will be moving to the NE, with timing not the most favorable for viewing an Eclipse other than in TX or SE corner of OK.  This could change if the storm slows or speeds up as it crosses the region.
“Feed your faith and your doubts will starve to death."
-Rufus
Copyright © 1994-2024 - All Rights Reserved - The Weather Café ®
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So So

Posted by Rufus La Lone on

Friday March 22
Some rain, some clouds, a few dry days, a bit of fog, and occasional peeks of sunshine.  That’s about it for the next couple of weeks.  If you seek more details, read on with your morn’n Mug refilled.
Today & Saturday looks wet, cool, cloudy.  Moisture should diminish on Sunday, with clouds hanging around and peeks of sun.  On Mon & Tue, Mar 25,26, a weak system will likely keep the PNW rather cloudy, with scattered showers; Tuesday will be the ‘drier’ of the two days.  Temperatures will remain on the cool side.  
Overnight Tue, Mar 26, the next bout of significant rainfall will begin to move into the PNW & California.   Moderate-to-heavy rain, at times, and lots of mountain snow is expected across the entire west coast Wed & Thu.  As the overall wet pattern shifts south into CA on Good Friday, the PNW will cool down and dry out, relatively speaking, as Easter weekend gets underway.
EASTER: Sunrise services should be dry but chilly; fog could be in play in the usual locations around the PNW.  The rest of Easter Day looks dry, as well.  Peeks of sunshine probable.
A favorable change in the long-range outlook is now charting, as models point to another decent stretch of DRY wx across the entire western U.S. from late Easter until April 5.  So, we will go with that forecast for now.  Expect dry & mild conditions for Mon April Fool’s Day through that week until a weak system appears on Fri the 5th.  Maybe.  Looks like temps will be in the 50s to 60s much of the week.
As noted, rain or showers could begin again Fri Apr 5, with a break Sat and more showers possible Sun Apr 6.  Too far out to be confident.
“The child who knows the value of a dollar will usually wind up asking for two."
-Rufus
Copyright © 1994-2024 - All Rights Reserved - The Weather Café ®
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Back to the Damp Side

Posted by Rufus La Lone on

Monday March 18
What a delightful weekend across the entire PNW.  We do have a day or two left before the current round of awesome wx fades into the past.  Let’s take a look.  Mug ready?
Today and Tue Mar 19 will be dry & mild, with temps topping out in the upper 60s to lower 70s west side.  Willamette Valley likely to get the 4th day in a row at or above 70 today, with a good chance for temps to be a couple degrees warmer than Sunday.  We do see a cool down beginning later on Wed, the first day of Spring.  Cool ’trough’ moving down the BC coast will slowly push onshore over the Puget Sound first, then NW OR by early Thu morning, Mar 21.  Mostly a cloud event, but a shower or two should not be ruled out.  Definitely cooler.  Friday is currently looking a tad warmer than Thu, as a southwest flow begins to enter the atmospheric theater.  This pattern will usher in a decent shot of RAIN late Fri through Sat, Mar 22,23.  Showers across the region on Sun Mar 24, although NW WA & Vancouver Is may escape much the precip.  
As the week of Mar 25-29 gets going, a cool, cloudy day or two early may lead to a few more dry days.  Models are mixed on this, but the trend is for the bulk of a large Low pressure trough to shift south offshore, with the main impact going to California.  That said, there will be some rain over OR, and maybe SW WA overnight Tue into Wed Mar 27, as said storm develops and tracks towards CA.  Drying west side, with wrap-around moisture from the CA storm keeping the eastern basins and ID damp as next week winds down.  The threat for a FROST on Good Friday or Sat morning is looking less likely, but it will be chilly overnight.
EASTER.  The last weekend of March is trending cool, with lots of clouds on Sat, turning WET later EASTER Sunday Mar 3.  Currently, there’s a reasonable chance for dry sunrise services in OR, with increasing chance for showers the farther north one travels north of OR early Easter morning.  Timing may change, but we do see rain across WA and NW OR at some point Easter Day.  BC, too.
April is charting to start on the chilly side, with plenty of rain and mountain snow.  Coats may be needed again, as there is model suggestion of a colder flow from the NW impacting the region early in April.  It has happened before.  We’ll keep you posted, of course.
“Biscuits and sermons are improved by shortening."
-Rufus
Copyright © 1994-2024 - All Rights Reserved - The Weather Café ®
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Sing'n in the . . .

Posted by Rufus La Lone on

The Ides of March 2024
The next 4 days will have you “Sing’n in the sunshine”.  Broadly speaking, and depending on location, should we garner 3 or more days of 70+ degree temps, it will be the longest stretch of such temps in March since 2005 - nineteen years ago.  Lucky! 
Sunshine and warm afternoons on tab now through Monday.  It still looks mild & dry Tue, however, models suggest a cold trough may move in from the NW overnight Tue into Wed Mar 20 - the Spring Equinox.  The coolness may also produce a shower or two, esp over the Puget Sound region.  For now, we’ll go with a cooling off period Wed & Thu next week before a moderately damp period returns to both end the week and the month.
Showers return across the PNW during the Mar 23,24 weekend.  New foliage will get wet; soil temps will drop.  Although not quite as cold, the chilly wx of early March is charting to return during the last week of the month.  It looks wet Mon through Thu, Mar 25-28.  FROST possible Fri and / or Sat morning, Mar 29,30 if the sky clears in your area.  
California will again receive rainfall during the Mar 23,24 weekend and on through the following week.  We do not see flooding issues, just more rain & mountain snow.
☘️ Enjoy St Patrick’s Day weekend while sing’n in the sunshine.
“Smiles never go up in price nor down in value.”  
-Rufus
Copyright © 1994-2024 - All Rights Reserved - The Weather Café ®
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Almost Here

Posted by Rufus La Lone on

Monday March 11
That’s right, an extended mild-to-warm dry weather pattern is almost here.  We are ready.  You?
Chilly, wet & windy pattern will move in today and hold on through Tue.  Then — dry, sunny days will begin by Wednesday, with warming on into the coming weekend.  Our much anticipated dry cycle will bless the PNW with some of the warmest temperatures since last fall.  The weekend could present temps in the upper 60s to low 70s all the way up & down the PNW.  A blessed St Patrick’s Day, for sure.
Next week will continue to be dry, with a cool down possible by mid-week, lasting through Fri Mar 22.  There will be a cold Low moving south off the coast of OR & WA, which will push a few clouds inland and cool temps down.  Right now, we do not see drenching rain issues during the weekend of Mar 23,24, but the dry pattern will begin to break down that weekend.  
Models hint at a return to BELOW normal temperatures and rain/showers/mountain snow as the last several days of March arrive.  Will this verify?  Will March end like a Lion (just like it started) and not a Lamb?  For now, plan on wet weather returning after the 24th and hope a change for the better will take place instead.  Time to work the land and set up those garden plots.
☘️ In the meantime, take full advantage of an amazing stretch of delightful weather coming to a sky near you starting Wednesday March 13.
“It’s not the coffee that keeps people awake these days, but the price of it."
-Rufus
Copyright © 1994-2024 - All Rights Reserved - The Weather Café ®
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