Vancouver Weather Blog

Happy New Year 2012!  Did it feel like 2011 was a cool temperature year?  It was!  Check out the mean temperature for the year in comparison to 2010 and the average (since 1999).  That’s a pretty significant difference when you think about a whole year.  Remember through the year how it seemed we were always behind in the season?  Spring started late and summer started late blending with early fall.  That sensation just confirms how unusual 2011 was weather wise.  The rest of the stats were reasonably average.

In 2012 my Davis Weather Monitor II will be 13 years old.  I’m noticing that the thermometer is giving off some spurious readings occasionally so it is looking like there will be some equipment upgrades required this year.  I also need to do some repair to the house where the weather station is located so there’s a good chance it will be down for a period of time while that occurs.  Instead of replacing the thermometer I’m considering a replacement weather station which will still upload data to the popular weather websites but would preclude me from producing my own site. I’m weighing options now for what would be the best solution moving forward.  Look for more updates from me as the year progresses.

Here’s the statistics for the year:

Values in parenthesis  are from 2010 for comparison.

High Temperature:  92.8 8/20  (98.0 in 2010, 98.9 average)

Low Temperature:  16.0 02/26  (15.1 in 2010, 20.2 average)

Mean Temperature:  46.1  (53.8 in 2010, 52.4 average)

Rain:  29.71″  (41.75″ in 2010, 29.34″ average)

Wind Speed High:  38 mph  03/13 (43 mph in 2010, 43.6 mph average)

Wind Speed Average:  2.0 mph  (2.0 mph in 2010, 1.9 mph average)

Wind Speed Dominant Direction:  S  (S in 2010)

As I reviewed the climate data for June I was shocked to find it was a very dry month!  I knew we didn’t have much rain by the way my lawn was acting.  I turned on my sprinklers Saturday 7/2 for the first time though they probably should have been on a week or so earlier.  June was also warmer than last June, which is a first for this year!  Now that we are past the 4th of July summer should kick in full swing!  Look for warm days, occasional morning clouds, and no more than an inch of rain.

Values in parenthesis  are from 2010 for comparison.

High Temperature: 88 6/4  (84.5 in 2010)

Low Temperature:  43.7 6/16  (43.7 in 2010)

Mean Temperature:  60.3  (59.0 in 2010)

Rain:  0.59″  (3.48″ in 2010)

Wind Speed High:  27 mph  6/4 (19mph in 2010)

Wind Speed Average:  1.0 mph  (1.0 mph in 2010)

Wind Speed Dominant Direction:  N  (N in 2010)

December was a pretty typical winter month here in the Northwest.  It had a mix of rain (heavy at times) and cold.  Right what it should be!  There was more rain this year than last but it wasn’t abnormally high.

Here’s the statistics for the month:

Values in parenthesis  are from 2009 for comparison.

High Temperature:  58.3 12/1  (51.2 in 2009)

Low Temperature:  22.0 12/31  (11.4 in 2009)

Mean Temperature:  42.0  (35.0 in 2009)

Rain:  6.86″  (3.99″ in 2009)

Wind Speed High:  43 mph  12/17 (38 mph in 2009)

Wind Speed Average:  3 mph  (1.7 mph in 2009)

Wind Speed Dominant Direction:  E  (E in 2009)

November was quite the month with lots of rain, a dusting of snow and some frigid temperatures.  Like most Novembers it had its usual elements of rain and wind which are both quite typical.  In the end November was certainly a good start to winter here in the Northwest.

Here’s the statistics for the month:

Values in parenthesis  are from 2009 for comparison.

High Temperature:  70.2  11/3  (61.1 in 2009)

Low Temperature:  14.1 11/24  (33.1 in 2009)

Mean Temperature:  44.0  (45.6 in 2009)

Rain:  5.55″  (4.78″ in 2009)

Wind Speed High:  29 mph  11/3 (41 mph in 2009)

Wind Speed Average:  2 mph  (2.2 mph in 2009)

Wind Speed Dominant Direction:  S  (S in 2009)

After a wet May and June, July was a treat.  Since the .77″ of rain in the first two days of the month it has been very dry in Vancouver.  Like I always tell people summer really starts here after the 4th of July!  Here’s July’s summary (with 32 straight days now without rain):

Values in parenthesis  are from 2009 for comparison.

High Temperature:  98.0  7/8  (106.1 in 2009)

Low Temperature:  47.4 7/6  (49.4 in 2009)

Mean Temperature:  65.1  (70.5 in 2009)

Rain:  0.77″  (0.20″ in 2009)

Wind Speed High:  25 mph  7/7  (19 mph in 2009)

Wind Speed Average:  1 mph  (1.3 mph in 2009)

Wind Speed Dominant Direction:  N  (N in 2009)

Welcome to the Vancouver Weather Blog!

My name is Steve Eshom and I’m an amateur weather enthusiast living in Vancouver, WA.  This blog is intended as a place where I can share my thoughts on local, national, and worldwide weather.  My goal is go beyond the talking heads on the local TV stations and try to bring more awareness to the weather that is around us everyday.  I will share my philosophies on local weather and from time to time will explore other’s views.  I plan to post photographs on this site of weather events or just interesting photographs to accompany a post.  Reader comments are always welcome and I encourage readers to participate through comments or direct contact with me.

Since 1999 I have hosted a Personal Weather Station at my home.  Personal weather stations allow weather consumers to get weather data much closer to their physical location.  I started this effort so I could quantify the weather I was seeing and feeling around me and expand my understanding of weather in general.  From there that interest turned into sharing my personal weather station data on the Internet which turned into weather.steveeshom.com and data sharing with wunderground, APRSNet/Findu, WeatherBug and Weather For You. 

My education is in software engineering.  I am not educated as a meteorologist nor have I attended any more formal training than the National Weather Service weather spotter training.  As a result I recommend referring to the National Weather Services the most accurate and up to date forecasts.  My weather website and blog are intended only for the viewing enjoyment of its viewers and should not take the place of official weather statements and forecast from the National Weather Service.

I look forward to sharing weather discussion with all of you!  Please stop by often though to make sure you don’t miss any action please subscribe using RSS or email (see links on the right).