The Columbia River has a bit of a micro-climate, hence the changeable weather. One of the so-called sayings here in WA ... "If you don't like the weather, wait five minutes." ;-)
Could be that Setsubun ... maybe the lights are there to chase away the evil spirits and welcome Spring? Mind you, there do also seem to be a lot of Snow/Winter festivals celebrated in Japan too.
Mira Bilis, that's a good link. I've been saying we see nothing of China and there are OODLES of pictures of China in that link. I don't know where you find them. :)