Despite spring officially arriving over 3 weeks ago, I don’t think it really feels like spring until baseball season begins.  The Mariners kicked off the 2012 season in Japan on March 28^th, but their home opener will be taking place Friday evening at 7:10 p.m.

As you can see, the forecast is looking great!  The roof should stay open throughout the entire ballgame with mostly clear skies and 50s. 

With baseball season starting in early April, the weather is not always this nice.  Some of you may remember just a few years ago in 2008 when some snowflakes were flying through the air on opening day.  So how does the weather usually fare on opening day?  I figured now would be the perfect time to look back at the weather we have seen on the Mariners home opener in years past. 

Since Safeco Field opened in July 1999, the first home opener at the ballpark was in April 2000.  That’s a good place to start since the weather inside the Kingdome never really changed.  Oh wait… there was the time when those roof tiles fell from the sky, but we won’t count that!    

Here is the list of home openers and the weather that was recorded.  The records are from Sea-Tac Airport, so the weather at the ballpark varied a bit.  However, it does give a general idea of the high temperature and precipitation for the day. 

April 4, 2000           Red Sox         Loss    0 to 2

Weather:  53°,   Partly to mostly cloudy,   No rain

April 2, 2001           A’s                  Win    5 to 4

Weather:  45°,   Rain and hail,  0.33” of rainfall

April 1, 2002           White Sox     Loss    5 to 6

Weather:  51°,   A few light showers,  0.01” of rainfall

April 8, 2003           Angels            Win    5 to 0

Weather:  64°,   Overcast with evening rain,  0.29” of rainfall

April 6, 2004           Angels            Loss    5 to 10

Weather:  57°,   Partly to mostly cloudy,  No rain

April 4, 2005           Twins             Win    5 to 1

Weather:  52°,   Scattered clouds,  No rain

April 3, 2006           Angels            Loss    4 to 5

Weather:  61°,   Afternoon showers,  0.14” of rainfall

April 2, 2007           A’s                  Win    4 to 0

Weather:  50°,   Mostly cloudy,  Trace of rainfall

March 31, 2008     Rangers         Win    5 to 2

Weather:  50°,   Light snow showers,  0.03” of precipitation

April 14, 2009         Angels            Win    3 to 2

Weather:  52°,   Partly cloudy,  0.01” of rainfall

April 12, 2010         A’s                  Loss    0 to 4

Weather:  56°,   A few light showers,  Trace of rainfall

April 8, 2011           Indians          Loss    3 to 12

Weather:  54°,   Partly cloudy,  No rain

Looking at these stats, I don’t see a clear correlation between the weather and how well the Mariners played.  They won and lost a game when the high for the day was in the 60s.  They also won and lost on days that had measurable precipitation.  The most interesting thing I noticed is that they scored 5 runs in half of those games.  Also, between 2000 and 2007, they alternated between winning and losing each year.  Coming off losses the past two years, I think it’s time for a Mariners win! 

Whatever the outcome of the game is, the weekend holds great weather for more baseball or for whatever your outdoor plans may be.   We’re looking dry with partly to mostly sunny skies Saturday and Sunday.  Temperatures hold in the mid to low 60s. 

-Sam Argier, Morning Meteorologist