Today marks the first day of autumn, and cool, wet weather is in the forecast beginning next month, according to weather experts.
Jennifer Simmons, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Spokane, said October, November and December will likely have average temperatures, but above-normal precipitation is anticipated. A La Niña winter is expected, and those conditions tend to favor more moisture.
La Niña is characterized by a shift in weather patterns that occurs every two to seven years, caused by strong westerly trade winds that upwell cooler ocean waters in the eastern Pacific Ocean. The cool waters push the polar jet stream north, bringing colder temperatures, heavy rains and flooding to the Pacific Northwest. The winter forecast may come as a relief after drought conditions and the hottest summer on record remains fresh in our memories.
In addition to it being the first day of fall, the autumnal equinox arrived today at 12:21 p.m. PDT in the Northern Hemisphere, which signals the halfway point between the longest and shortest days of the year. Daylight hours will continue to dwindle until the shortest day of the year, the winter solstice, on Dec. 21.
Also coming during the fall is the end of daylight saving time and the return of standard time on Nov. 7. (Lewiston Tribune)
