Right on Time: Shift Into Spring Marked by Warmest 2022 Days Yet

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Spring is here.

Lewis County, along with much of Western Washington, is seeing its highest temperatures of 2022 with the Twin Cities hitting 64 degrees on Tuesday at 4 p.m.

National Weather Service (NWS) meteorologists and Lewis County Department of Emergency Management (DEM) staff are breathing deep sighs of relief after winter storms brought the extremes including flooding, ice and snow.

According to Dustin Guy, an NWS Seattle meteorologist, this week’s weather should remain in the low 60s through the weekend for Chehalis and Centralia. The first week of 60 degree weather usually comes to the Olympia area in late February, he said, so this has indeed been a long winter — as the groundhog predicted.

“We’re starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel here of the storm season,” Guy said, but added that: “Unfortunately, in Western Washington we get these little teasers of sun and then we get the cold hard truth of rain.”

Next week, temperatures will trend downward as the rainfall again increases.

But it won’t be gloomy forever. According to Guy, the first week with 70 degree weather in the area, on average, takes place in early April.



“We still got a lot of work to do when it comes to the winter storms, but we’re much cheerier and much happier with sunshine coming through our windows,” said DEM Deputy Director Ross McDowell.

As the county remains in touch with January flood survivors, he said, and works to determine the possibility of FEMA disaster funding, there is plenty of paperwork to wrap up. Likewise, Lewis County Public Works can now spring into action addressing damage caused to roads and other infrastructure during the storms.

McDowell’s hopes of FEMA funding are dwindling as the county approaches 90 days since the flooding of early January, but he and staff “still have our fingers crossed,” he said.

Now, meteorologists and DEM staff are looking toward summer and preparing for work that comes with it, including high heat and wildfire management and tracking. McDowell said DEM staff were in heat risk training on Tuesday.

The weather never stops, but there is little to worry about this week, according to McDowell and Guy.

“We’re doing pretty good over here,” McDowell said.