9:12 AM Mon, Aug 18, 2008 | Permalink
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A couple of weeks ago I took a ride on Aftershock. It's a rollercoaster at the Silverwood Amusement Park in North Idaho. The ride throws you around, slams you forward and back, then it hangs you upside down. After about 90 seconds it spits you out, none the worse for wear. All you can do is hold on and enjoy the ride. Yep, that's pretty much our weather this week. Just like the Aftershock, all we can do is hold on and enjoy the ride. This morning many of us awoke to the sound of thunder and heavy rain pounding our roofs.
We are transitioning out of very hot and humid conditions of the last few days. That transition is going to be a bit bumpy. A cool-- very cool-- system for this time of year is headed towards the Pacific Northwest. Moisture ahead of the storm has combined with the very warm air over the region. That's triggered our thunderstorms which will last through most of the day. For a period of time this morning we were picking almost 40 lightning strikes an hour in the Metro area. Lightning detection instruments were recording a couple of hundred strikes an hour just in Western Oregon.
But wait there's more! Later this week it will feel a lot like early October! As the main low arrives, temperatures will drop. Daytime highs will only reach the upper 60s. In the mountains snow-- yes I said snow-- will fall above 8000 feet.
By the end of the week skies clear and we heat up once again! Saturday and Sunday high temperatures head towards the 90 degree mark. Talk about a roller coaster ride! This is going to be wild! Here's the good news-- Mother Nature is providing this for free! I had to pay $38.00 a piece for me and daughter Karen, to ride the aftershock!
First we had "Juneuary", now we have "Augtober"!