So when exactly was the last time we registered a temperature above 50 degrees? It’s been quite chilly lately, but surely our goose-bumped skin has been exposed to such mild weather sometime recently!
Actually, no, not at all. But before I reveal the specific day we last saw 51+ temperatures, here’s a little representation of what the temperature spread has been since November 1st:
NUMBER OF DAYS WITH THE FOLLOWING TEMPERATURE READINGS SINCE NOVEMBER 1ST, 2012 (Bremerton Airport):
- 50+°= 12 (First six days of November being 51+ degrees, and then six other days during the past three months with a 50 degree reading)
- 40+°= 57
- 30+°= 22
- 20+° (low temperature)= 26
- 10°+ (low temperature)= 4
It shouldn’t be surprising that we registered most days 40° and above, but what should stand out even more is how often we hit the 30s, 20s, and teens, and how infrequently we’ve been over 50. The Bremerton area usually averages about 8 days with highs in the 30s during the winter and we’ve nearly tripled it.
And now we wait in suspense. The weather this weekend is a real tricky one. If we reach 51 degrees or more tomorrow, that will be the first time since………November 6th, 2012! We will have gone almost three whole months without seeing the big 5-0 on the seven day forecast, but the first weekend of February is taking on the challenge.
A ridge of high pressure is building, but we run the same risk of seeing low clouds and fog Friday night into Saturday morning. The little fly in the ointment is that the fog doesn’t completely burn off on Saturday, which could keep our temperatures in the upper 30s/lower 40s a good part of the day. If skies clear, we could see highs easily hit the low 50s. For now, I expect skies to become at least partly sunny by Saturday afternoon with highs just over the 50 degree mark.
Sunday is another 50+ contender before skies cloud up and temperatures fall. We get so close to touching 50 and then it gets taken from us! All the more reason to enjoy this weekend. If the sun refuses to come out on the peninsula, head to the Cascade foothills! It’ll be plenty mild up there 🙂
Matthew Leach
Forecasting Kitsap
Questions? Comments? E-mail me at: forecastingkitsap@live.com
This doesn’t make sense. The chart shows 12 days of 50+ temps since Nov 1st, but it hasn’t been above 50 since Nov 6th? Also, how representive is Kitsp Airport of the rest of the county?
Hi, Connie! Thanks for the question. This article is about exceeding 50 degrees, not necessarily reaching 50 degrees. The first 6 days of November featured temperatures 51+, and then there were six days after that with temperatures at 50 degrees. So basically, this chart shows we haven’t seen anything warmer than 50 since Nov. 6th. Does that make better sense? Sorry for the confusion.
The Bremerton Airport records official weather data provided to the Seattle NWS. Compared to the rest of the peninsula, it tends to match up quite nicely to most areas aside from the locations directly along the Hood Canal. In fact, I can’t recall ever seeing temperatures recorded from the airport that varied more than a degree or two from other unofficial Kitsap stations. Good questions!