Wow, we got some seriously beautiful weather Thursday. Friday should be even better with highs reaching well into the 70s and sunny skies. Changes come our way into the weekend when a cold front approaches the Pacific Northwest.
This weak front is expected to bring rain showers west of the Cascades and some snow in the mountains. On our side of the mountains, we are expecting dry conditions and a stiff breeze during the day and into the evening on Saturday.
Indications right now are that winds will remain below 30 mph, but gusts in some areas could approach 40 mph. Clouds will increase Friday night, but Saturday we are expected to return to mostly sunny skies.
Behind the front, high temperatures are going to drop by five-to-ten degrees and overnight lows will drop into the mid-30s for the Tri-Cities. Small areas of frost are possible Sunday morning, but this will mostly be in protected valleys rather than being a widespread event. Pendleton is forecasted to dip down to 34, while the Tri-Cities is looking to be closer to 36.
The cool down will only last through Monday. Tuesday brings us a return to the 70s, with sunny skies lasting through the work week. Longer range predictions point toward our warmth continuing for around two weeks.
While highs in the 70s are warmer than we have seen in the first half of the month, our average for this time of year is right around 70. Temperatures in the mid-70s are above average, but not by much. Record highs for the last half of April are above 90, with the record high for the month being 95.
We’ve hit 95 thrice in April, most recently in 1926. Right now, it doesn’t look like we’ll reach 90 in the foreseeable future, but of course, that could change.
