what a BEAUTIFUL day!
Spring comes to Portland for a limited time only
High temperatures could hit 75 today before you-know-what returns Monday
Saturday, April 12, 2008
STUART TOMLINSON
The Oregonian
After a cool start to spring, temperatures will soar today in much of Oregon and southwest Washington.
Enjoy the weather while it lasts, because by Monday it looks like April showers will return to laying the foundation for May flowers.
A dome of high pressure extending from Bellingham, Wash., to Salt Lake City is forecast to push highs today in Portland close to 75 degrees, and to 65 degrees Sunday -- well above the average high of 60.
"The warm temperatures will be short-lived as the high pressure moves in and the next front lines up," said Jonathan Wolfe, a forecaster for the National Weather Service in Portland. "The front is kind of wimpy, but a sharp cold front will slide down the coast by Sunday night for showers on Monday."
Since fall, the Pacific Northwest has been under the influence of a powerful La Nina, the periodic cooling of the tropical Pacific Ocean surface that creates colder and wetter winters for the Northwest, which often extend into spring.
Since March 1, Portland's high temperature has been normal or above normal on just 11 of 42 days, including Friday, when the high was 69.
It's been wet, too. March and April had only three days apiece without precipitation, some of which fell as snow.
Earlier this week, forecasters said that even though the current La Nina has weakened it is expected to continue at least into the middle of summer, perhaps to the end of July.
"The February numbers showed that the water temperatures in the central Pacific were the coldest since 1950, which is the coldest on record," said George Taylor of the Oregon Climate Service. "It's clearly an extreme La Nina. But the forecast models are pretty bad at recognizing transitions ."
Taylor said Oregon summers after strong La Ninas are typically drier and warmer than average.
"I'd say there's a 70 percent chance of that happening this summer," he said.
Stuart Tomlinson: 503-221-8313; stuarttomlinson@ news.oregonian.com; blog.oregonlive.com/weather
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make paradise, tear up a parking lot
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