Friday, March 1, 2013

march beauty... (pm.01.mar.13)>

Friday's stats:

Early morning low temp: 45.5F (7.5C) -- just after midnight
Afternoon high temp: 62.2F (16.8C) -- warmest of 2013
Rainfall: none

We have nearly 100% clear skies this evening at sunset, after an incredibly beautiful day.  March has launched in fine fashion, with sunshine and only a few afternoon cumulus clouds over the mountains, along with temperatures rising to their warmest since the first week of December.  We've waited many weeks for this.

I was concerned this morning that lingering moisture in the air might condense into cloudiness along the front slopes of the mountains this afternoon, but apparently we've finally dried out enough to prevent that phenomenon from spoiling our sunshine.  Much warmer temperatures in the upper atmosphere have also created a more stable situation for us, for the first time in quite a while.

The transformation of our weather pattern from a winter one into a spring one will continue over the course of the next week or so.  Temperatures will continue to moderate from the surface into the highest levels of the atmosphere, while moisture remains at a minimum.  Other than an occasional period of high cloudiness, we should see lots of sunshine over the weekend and into early next week, as temps actually climb a bit above normal for early March.

Extended range computer models are hinting at a storm for next weekend, but that's a long way off... it's better to ignore that for now and savor these pleasant conditions during the next several days.!

The CURRENT FORECAST is on the tab above.