On Tuesday May 20, AccuWeather Meteorologist Joe Lundberg joined WGAN to discuss the recent weather anomalies. He also gave some insight into the causes of the unexpected weather and what they mean for the rest of the month.
Due to changing pressure in the atmosphere, Lundberg said the jet stream is forced down south. “When it does that, it’s not allowing any warm air to come up here any more.” Combine this with an offshore storm and you get wind, rain, and cold.
A normal high temperature for late May, according to Lundberg, should be “well up into the 60s.” Still, the temperature in Portland is not projected to reach 60 degrees for the remainder of the week. “We hit 70 degrees once so far this month… and I don’t think we’ll do it again.”
Entering Memorial Day Weekend, Lundberg said it’s “not going to be good.” Even if the moisture stays south, “it won’t stay there for long.” A Kansas storm is predicted to move northeast over time, bringing “rain…, wind…, and some very chilly conditions.”
The recent rain has brought challenges in basic outdoor and housekeeping tasks. Wet lawns make lawn mowing and landscaping a harder task, and it’s much more difficult to get outside.
Luckily, the swings in precipitation from year to year can be attributed to the law of averages. Lundberg notes that historical weather and precipitation averages are “made up of abnormalities.” “Things do tend to even out over time… it’s not going to be wet like this all summer long, I promise you.”
Stay positive in the rain, wind, and cold, and look ahead to better weather as summer goes on. For more with Joe Lundberg and WGAN, hear the WGAN Morning News below.
