Whatcom’s weather could soon feel truly like summer
Bellingham and Whatcom County could see their first temperatures above 80 degrees this year, just a few weeks after the mercury topped 70 for the first time in what’s been an unusually cloudy, cool and rainy spring.
A wind shift late this week looks to give Western Washington a warm and sunny weekend — the best days of this year for those who enjoy sunshine.
“This is a pretty quick turnaround from what we’ve been seeing,” said Jake DeFlitch, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Seattle.
“We’ve been so chilly and cool (that) it’s going to be a large difference,” DeFlitch told The Bellingham Herald.
Clouds and rain were likely through Wednesday afternoon, June 22, but then skies will begin to clear as high pressure builds over the region.
Forecast highs are in the mid-60s for Bellingham on Wednesday and Thursday, June 22-23, warming to the mid-70s on Friday, June 24.
Then winds will change to an easterly flow, drawing warm air across the Cascades.
A high of 80 degrees is forecast for Bellingham on Saturday, June 25, with highs around 80 likely through Monday, June 27, according to current forecasts.
That will be good news to farmers, backyard gardeners, hikers, mountain bikers and other outdoor recreation enthusiasts.
Rainfall of 3.01 inches so far in June is nearly double the monthly average of 1.61 inches, and daytime high temperatures are running about 2 degrees cooler than the monthly average of 67.8 degrees.
Too much rain, coupled with cooler weather and cloudy skies, has stunted commercial crops such as berries and confounded gardeners who have watched their beans, peas and tomatoes wither.
Temperatures closer to 80 are expected near the Salish Sea, but temperatures could approach 90 degrees across inland Whatcom County toward the foothills, DeFlitch said.
“It’s been a while since we’ve been this warm. If you don’t have AC, it’s going to be noticeable,” DeFlitch said.
Meanwhile, lakes and streams remain cold, and a sudden fall into cold water without a flotation device could prove deadly, he said.
Two people died last week when their raft overturned in the Nooksack River near the mountain village of Glacier.
