Updated Friday 3:20 p.m.
All sorts of weather zaniness from today, with several areas pushing 60 just 6-7 hours after some of those locations were in the mid 20s. Speaking of the mid 20s, at 6 a.m., we had a 20+ degree spread just over about 50 miles (Olympia at 25 while North Bend was at 47). Blame the east wind or lack thereof for the warm/cold air.
Oh, and Seattle's 58 degrees today was warmer than all but one other day in April last year. And in 2011, Seattle didn't get over 55 until March 15 and didn't cross 58 until March 23.
The zaniness will play out again tomorrow through Monday but we don't expect the east wind to be quite as much of a factor.
Tonight will be clear but lows will vary from the mid-upper 20s in the south Sound to mid 30s around Seattle to low-mid 40s in the foothills where the wind will keep temperatures up.
Saturday, Sunday and Monday will see a foggy South Sound in the morning but sunny elsewhere, and the South Sound will eventually join the sun party. Highs each day will be in the low 50s -- not quite the scorcher of today, but mild nonetheless.
Models still paint some light rain late Tuesday into Wednesday, but it's quite light and may fizzle by the time it gets here. Looks like we dry out again for the end of the week.
Today's Sun Fact: The Dog Days of Summer
Keeping with the theme I started yesterday about sun facts since we rarely see the sun here, today's note about sunshine is how the Southern Europeans used the sun and another bright star to hypothesize why it got so hot in the summer months.
Observers along the Mediterranean Sea used to follow Sirius, which is the brightest star in the nighttime sky and part of the constellation known as "The Big Dog" (when translated to English.). On July 23 in the Mediterranean area, the star rose and set with the sun. The ancients believed the star was so bright, it gave off heat and added to the sun's warmth to make the summer days even hotter.
Thus, the term "Dog Days of Summer" came to mean the 20 days before and after this alignment -- July 3 to Aug. 11.
But after today's warmth, you could be forgiven for thinking it might at least be the Puppy Days of Spring.
Scott Sistek
KOMONews.Com Meteorologist
Follow me on Twitter @ScottsKOMO and on Facebook
