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PORTLAND -- Monday, March 21 marks the first full day of Spring for 2011 but in the Portland Metro area, it is tough to tell.
March has a good chance of making the record books for high rain amounts and unseasonably low temperatures.
"Records we are chasing include - most days with measurable rainfall, total rain for the month and possibly becoming the only March not to reach 60 degrees since data started being collected at the Portland International Airport back in 1941," said KGW Meteorologist Rod Hill.
The precipitation record for the number of days with .01 inch of rain or more in Portland is 27 days, set back in 2003. This year, March 21 marked the 20th day this month with rain.
Portland's wettest March had 7.52 inches of rainfall back in 1957. PDX has currently recorded 5.04 inches for so far this month.
"If we pick up another inch, we will crack the top 5 list for the wettest March," Hill explained.
More: KGW forecast
He added that the latest forecast outlooks predict that the trend will continue in April, with cooler-than-normal temperatures and wetter than average precipitation.
"The extended projection for April through June calls for below-normal temperatures," Hill said. "The La Nina is weakening and it is reasonable to assume that a change to more normal weather is possible as summer approaches; more normal referring to a drier and warmer pattern than our current weather."
During Spring Break week, Hill said people enjoying "stay-cations" in Portland should expect dry weather for the most part, but not much sunshine.
And the following week, when schools in Southwest Wash. take their Spring Break, expect "not much change in our cloudy cool weather," Hill added.
More: 7-day Forecast
