So what’s up with the weather the past few days? Our mountain’s gone, our sunsets are hazy, yet even more dramatic than usual, and the thunder last night at 2 am had me thinking my house was falling down around me. Well, it turns out that we can pretty much blame California for all of this.

We’ve been in a weather pattern where warmer air is coming up from California and picking up moisture as it travels over land. It’s also picking up smoke particles from all of the California wildfires, resulting in poor visibility and air quality. According to the weather report I heard this morning, we’re in for another few days of this.

I was beginning to think we’d never see warm, sunny days again. Do we dare hope that this portends good things for Memorial Day Weekend?

Can you feel it?

Tonight is, much like last month’s Vernal Equinox, or the glorious weather we had on Saturday, one of those things that makes you realize that, despite the weather, Summer is coming.

Tonight, sunset enters the primetime, setting at 8pm.

It isn’t the almost 16 hours of sunrise-sunset we’ll have on the Solstice, and there probably won’t be any naked cyclists, but, I’m happy to take 13h40m25s of sun-upped-ness, even if it is hidden behind a bank of grey.

Sample comments on today’s weather, mercilessly stolen from various Seattle Metblogs authors on Twitter:

• Oh hey there, wintery mix.
• SNOMFJ. Surprise icefall again and again
• The Flying Spaghetti Monster is not well pleased with those in charge of the SLEET in SEATTLE in nearly APRIL
• DAMMIT STOP SLEETING IT IS NEARLY APRIL AND THIS IS TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE BEHAVIOR
• *almost* snowing in pioneer square… wtf?
• I dub this month: Apruary
• OMG WEATHER. Seriously, though, what the fuck? Next, I predict a rain of locusts and frogs and scorpions. Cats and dogs living together.

Got a grumble about the weather? Add it in the comments!