We are now well into the second half of the month of April, and there have still been no 70-degree days at Columbia Gorge Municipal Airport, also known as DLS.  A little over a week ago, we celebrated the “Latest 65” milestone.  Assuming we make it through tomorrow with no 70 (nearly certain), then we will be guaranteed at least the 3rd latest 70 on record, since the spring of 1949.

It’s most bizarre that this is happening in what is clearly NOT a historically cold spring.  You might recall the extremely cold and delayed spring of 2011, when March, April and May were ALL well below average for temps.  Not only were there very few warm days, there were a ton of genuinely chilly days in the 50s, even low 50s.  Snow levels 2,000 feet or lower in the last week of April.  And plenty of cold nights in the 30s, at DLS airport.

Contrast that to Spring 2017 so far.  It’s been very wet and a bit on the cool side.  But NO warm ridges for even a brief moment.  And for that matter, no real cold Subarctic troughs setting up a nearby shop either, other than the first few days of March.  We’ve actually been very steady with our temperature trend – staying either close to normal or just slightly below, the entire time.  Most April days in The Dalles have been in the upper-50s to mid-60s.  And nighttime temps have been mild in most cases.  That’s a far cry from the raw chill of April 2011!

And here is the Sorosis Park orchard phenology for April 15, 2017:

In 2011 it took until the 21st or 22nd to look quite like this.  So we’re still a bit behind normal this year – but not nearly on par with what’s possible.  (This week has also shown the first signs of pink dogwood blooming in The Dalles.)

We have one possible chance of hitting 70 degrees Friday, but it’s a long shot.  Despite sunny skies and offshore flow, the atmosphere looks just a bit too ‘cool’ for 70 at the surface.  UNLESS you live in southwest Oregon where these kind of warm spells sometimes pop up a bit sooner.  If anything, I bet Portland has a better shot at 70 on Friday than The Dalles, due to the downslope benefits of the east wind.  If Saturday was all sunny then DLS might have a shot at 70 THAT day, as the wind shifts – but alas, there will be high clouds around.  (Unless the weather gods decide to slow everything down by 12 hours or more!)

After Friday-Saturday we appear to go into a cool and unsettled pattern again, for at least 6 or 7 days.  That takes us very near the end of April.  Our two latest 70-degree days on record are Apr. 28, 1963 and May 1, 1970.  Who knows?  My gut instinct is that we see a 70 or 71 pop up somewhere in there.  You don’t really need a ridge in the last week of April, for it to happen.