Whatcom weather’s a marked change from last week’s heatwave. What that means for summer
Whatcom County residents might want to keep their sweaters and raincoats handy, because a stretch of unseasonably cool weather is following last week’s heatwave.
High temperature on Tuesday, Aug. 17, was 69 degrees — practically a cold snap compared to last week’s searing temperatures that hit the triple digits in Bellingham.
“Who else thought it felt like fall this AM? Who else besides me is happy about that?!!!” said Randy Small of Lynden at his Whatcom County Weather page on Facebook.
This week holds more cool weather, with forecast highs in the low 70s and overnight temperatures in the 50s and 60s.
There might be a hazy sunset from wildfires, but forecasts for this week show the smoke staying in the upper atmosphere and air quality remaining good near the ground.
But fire danger remains high after a nearly two-month dry spell and two record-breaking heatwaves.
Clouds return Thursday, Aug. 19, and a chance of rain or showers lingers in the forecast from Friday, Aug. 20, into Monday, Aug. 23.
“A system will slide southward down the British Columbia coast on Friday and into Western Washington by Friday night. This will lead to an increasing chance for showers across the area along with cooler temperatures,” the National Weather Service said in its online forecast.
“It will hold temperatures below seasonal normals across Western Washington and keep some clouds in the forecast,” the weather service said.
Average high temperature for mid-August is 73 degrees, based on National Weather Service data from Bellingham International Airport.
But days with highs in the upper 60s aren’t unheard of, and average monthly rainfall is 1.13 inches in August.
