Stupid Clouds!

Stupid clouds, they were supposed to burn off enough to give us at least some sunshine and temperatures in the 40s this afternoon. Oh well, at least those clouds and a light southerly wind will keep us from getting quite as cold for the overnight hours this Saturday night.

Also, I remain cautiously optimistic that those pesky clouds will thin out enough for more sunshine and temperatures to reach the 50s during Sunday afternoon. Stronger southerly winds for Sunday and Monday will also create an enhanced fire danger situation, particularly on Monday which is when the winds will likely be the strongest and temperatures the warmest.

A cool front will arrive Monday night, but temperatures will still be warmer than normal during the day Tue, Wed, and Thursday. Obviously, this is not a very strong system and no precipitation is expected with it either.

A stronger boundary will arrive Thu night or early Fri so that Christmas Eve and Christmas Day will be noticeably colder. Some light rain or showers may accompany this boundary, but whatever falls will be liquid and should be on the light side. That means Christmas Day itself is currently expected to be sunny, dry, and on the chilly side.

As I mentioned this morning, it has been more than a month since we have had any widespread, significant precipitation and it does not appear that this coming week will do anything to change that. And, that is why I spent a good bit of my vacation time last week clearing brush that is anywhere close to my house. Our current dry spell is not likely to be alleviated anytime soon and may well extend into the Spring. Under these conditions, anytime the wind blows there will be an enhanced fire danger so I have been clearing out a lot of undergrowth and dead branches that have accumulated over the last year or so.

Hopefully, we will get some decent moisture over the course of the winter, but in the meantime I strongly suggest an awareness of what can happen anytime we get a windy, relatively mild or warm day during the winter or early spring.

As always, stay tuned and check back for updates.

Dick Faurot