WeatherWatcher: Slight chance of showers or lightning this weekend

 

Lightning view from Log boom Park July 3, 2008
Photo by Carl Dinse

We've enjoyed a very consistent weather pattern of sunny skies and temperatures, mainly in the 70's, for the past four weeks. There is a slight change coming this weekend, however. The North American monsoon has started up and been active for about a week now. Typically, during the summer months, we sometimes get sideswiped from the east by that monsoon activity.

Saturday evening and Sunday evening appear to be one of those times where there is a slight chance some of that monsoon moisture will make it over the Cascade mountains into our region. Warmer weather is expected as well, but nothing like that freak heat wave we had at the end of June.

Here's what to expect over the next few days and into the weekend. 

Thursday through Saturday morning we are looking at sunny skies and clear nights. Low temperatures near 60°F and high temperatures in the low 80's. Thursday is expected to be the warmest with mid 80's for a high temperature.

Saturday afternoon some of the moisture and clouds are expected to drift into the area. At this time, it does not appear we will see much more than clouds in the afternoon and cloudy skies overnight into Sunday. There is, however, a very slight chance of some showers, and even slighter chance of a lightning show with these clouds.

The best times for lightning viewing will be after 6pm Saturday, and the best locations will be places with a view of the Olympics or Cascade mountains. Thunderstorms are more likely over the mountains rather than over the lowlands. A stray thunderstorm or two may move over the area through the evening and overnight hours Saturday into Sunday morning. 

I want to be clear, most of the time when this setup occurs, these forecasts are a complete bust, as in some clouds happen but nothing else. Occasionally though, we get a very active lightning show and sometimes a severe thunderstorm overhead. I would keep plans in mind to stay within reach of a shelter from lightning through the weekend.

Sunday evening there is another very slight chance of showers, lightning, and thunder, but that is smaller than the chance Saturday evening. Temperatures through the weekend are expected to stay in the low 80's for high temperatures, with evening lows around the mid 60's.

We return to our regularly scheduled summer weather of sunny skies, clear nights, with highs in the upper 70's and lows in the lower 60's on Monday through the middle of next week.

For current weather conditions visit www.shorelineweather.com

Note: Northridge weather station is back online.