Forks Washington on the Olympic Peninsula
Forks just experienced a very wet March! The total rain for the month was 21.04 inches. The average rainfall for Forks in March is 13.01 inches, so it was wetter than normal here in Forks.
Here are a few comments from certain days in March by Jerry King, local weather recorder: "1 inch of snow; damaging wind, hail and rain; hail and snow flurries, rain and windy; cloudy and showers; partly cloudy; windy and rain; thunder and heavy wind and rain; cloudy with light showers most of the day; cloudy with a few spits of rain; cloudy and rain all day; windy and heavy rain."
Of course this March was not the wettest March on record. That happened in 1997 when 29.42 inches fell. So the next time you feel bad about rain where you live, just think about Forks that gets on average 120 inches (10 feet) each year. Currently for 2011 (January - March), Forks has had 52.96 inches.
It's still Winter here in Forks as can be seen by these scenes the morning of Thursday, February 17, 2011.
Total rainfall in Forks for 2010 calendar year was above the normal average with 136.36 inches (11 1/2 feet)! This amount of rain is graphically shown on the front of the Forks Chamber of Commerce Visitor Center as seen in this photo. Now the red arrow will start all over again at ground level for 2011.
Yikes, it is white out! Could we be in store for a white Thanksgiving? For the second day flakes are flying in Forks and around the rest of the Olympic Peninsula.
"The Sea Was Angry That Day, My Friends, like an Old Man Trying to send Back Soup in a Deli." A la George Costanza, the sea is getting whipped up for a big storm this weekend. Lots of rain and wind are expected. For those heading to the ocean beaches take special care when in the driftwood. There is nothing more spectacular than the force of mother nature!
You know it's really hot when a chunk of the Forks Outfitter's parking lot sticks to your tire. I made a quick stop at Outfitter's after work last night. As I left the parking lot I heard ker-chunk, ker-chunk, ker-chunk, what the heck was that? Stopping and looking at my front tire I found a strip of pavement stuck to it. After some pulling I got it free. With 90 degree temperatures predicted again for today, there may be nothing left of Outfitter's parking lot by the end of the day! A trip to the ocean, where temperatures should be a little cooler, may be in order.
Although the weather may not feel like it spring will soon turn in to summer, sometimes it is hard to see the difference, but a sure sign that the season is changing is when the coastal wildflowers come in to bloom. The Fairy Lantern graces the coastal woodlands of the Olympic Peninsula. The cream colored flowers resemble small lanterns that appear to be threaded through the edge of each leaf. One can just about imagine the wee folk dancing about under the lighted blooms.
We're about to get the same weather technology here on the West End of the Olympic Peninsula that just about everybody else takes for granted--Doppler radar! This is a big deal for mariners and outdoorsmen, who rely on accurate weather information for their survival. Up until now, the Olympic Mountains basically blocked the radar from Seattle, making it difficult to forecast our coastal weather.
© 2012 Forks Chamber of Commerce, Inc.