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Mass: Back to cooler and wetter days, but be thankful for normal

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Be thankful for normal, even if it's not sunny and warm, says Cliff Mass, KPLU's weather expert and a professor of Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Washington.

"The interesting thing about this spring is it's been really normal. It's really normal to have some periods where it's above normal and below normal," says Mass, adding he's not quite a prophet of doom; maybe the "prophet of deterioration."This weekend, we can expect the weather to be "pretty much normal," says Mass. 

This past week was one of those warmer-than-average periods, but the return to normal is under way, says Mass, with clouds pushing in from the Pacific.

"We were way over normal this week, you know, by 5 or 10 degrees," Mass says. 

By Saturday, we can expect temperatures in the 50s to low 60s with a chance of rain showers.

Even with the return of cooler and wetter days, this spring is shaping up rather nicely, even if it isn't above-average, says Mass.

"After two years of cold, drizzly, wet springs, we are seeing normality for a change," he says. “The average over the whole spring so far is almost right-on.”

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Do you have a weather question? Cliff Mass and Keith Seinfeld occasionally answer reader questions on the air. Share yours here.

The weekly KPLU feature "Weather with Cliff Mass" airs every Friday at 9 a.m. immediately following BirdNote, and repeats twice on Friday afternoons during All Things Considered. The feature is hosted by KPLU’s Science and Health reporter Keith Seinfeld. Cliff Mass is a University of Washington Professor of Atmospheric Sciences, a renowned Seattle weather prognosticator, and a popular weather blogger. You can also subscribe to a podcast of “Weather with Cliff Mass”shows.

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Keith Seinfeld is a former KNKX/KPLU reporter who covered health, science and the environment over his 17 years with the station. He also served as assistant news director. Prior to KLPU, he was a staff reporter at The Seattle Times and The News Tribune in Tacoma and a freelance writer-producer. His work has been honored by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and the Knight Science Journalism Fellowships at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.