Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Portland, OR
Issued by NWS Portland, OR
133 FXUS66 KPQR 310435 AFDPQR Area Forecast Discussion...UPDATED National Weather Service Portland OR 934 PM PDT Thu May 30 2024 Updated aviation discussion... .SYNOPSIS..Warm and dry weather through Friday. A weakening front pushes across the area on Saturday, which will result in a slight cooling trend but generally remaining dry. Then, a much wetter system associated with what remains of a tropical system is expected Sunday through Monday. Warm and dry weather returns for the middle of next week. && .SHORT TERM...Tonight through Saturday night...Pleasant weather continues as we flip the calendar from May to June. Weak upper level ridging over the eastern Pacific will push east across the Pacific NW on Friday. Temperatures warm Friday afternoon into the upper 70s to near 80 degrees inland, while northerly winds turning back onshore will maintain temperatures in the 60s at the coast. Breezy northerly winds continue through the Willamette Valley, becoming more westerly as onshore push begins. Increasing clouds on Saturday as a weak shortwave trough pushes a weakening front towards the area. Most areas are expected to remain dry, with a few light showers possible at northern coastal areas and in the Cascades. Temperatures return to near normal for June 1st with highs expected into the lower to mid 70s inland. Winds remain generally onshore through Saturday. /DH .LONG TERM...Sunday through Thursday...Rain is expected to return Sunday as a frontal system with an associated atmospheric river pushes into the Pacific NW. The initial warm front will bring generally steady, light rain through Saturday afternoon while pushing snow levels above 9,000-10,000 feet. Zonal flow turns more southwesterly as an upper shortwave trough approaches the region late Sunday. Precipitable water values peak around 1.4-1.5 Sunday evening through Sunday night while IVT values increase to around 500 to 750 kg/ms. Strong dynamics as nose of a strong upper level jet pushes into Oregon. This will likely bring more moderate rainfall through Sunday night into early Monday. Showers then follow behind the front by Monday afternoon with a 15-20% chance of thunderstorms Monday afternoon. Latest QPF from WPC and NBM suggest 36-hour rainfall amounts at the coast of around 1.5 to 2.5 inches, 2 to 4 inches for the Coastal mountains as well as the Cascades and Cascade foothills. Rainfall amounts are likely around 1.0 to 1.5 inches across the inland valleys. Even with all this rain, not expecting river flooding (less than 5% chance) or many hydro impacts. Will need to continue to monitor for higher rainfall rates especially near the Columbia River Gorge, although currently not expected to exceed 0.25 inch per hour. Another system then approaches on Tuesday, although there is increased uncertainty as to how far south the front will drop. Therefore will maintain a slight chance (10-20%) of rain from the central OR coast/southern Willamette Valley to likely rain (60-70%) across the northern coast into southwest WA. By Wednesday, high pressure is expected to build offshore. Cluster analysis shows varying degrees of strength of an upper level ridge over the western US. A warming trend is likely by mid-week through the end of the week, with highs most likely in the 80s by Thursday. /DH && .AVIATION...VFR conditions under mostly clear skies prevail through the entire TAF period as high pressure remains settled over the region. Winds will be out of the north/northwest and under 10 kt tonight. After 15-17z Fri, expect winds to begin strengthening along the coast and southern Willamette Valley (including KEUG) as pressure gradients begin to tighten. Winds along the coast and south Valley could gust up to 25 kt Friday afternoon, weakening in the evening. PDX AND APPROACHES...VFR conditions through the entire TAF period with mostly clear skies. Northwest winds will be under 10 kt. -Alviz && .MARINE...Weak high pressure continues to build across the the waters today into tonight, slowly retreating west into the offshore waters Friday. This will lead to increasing northerly winds off of the central Oregon coast this afternoon and evening. There is 60-80% chance that winds gust to 25 kt generally from Tillamook and south with > 90% chance of winds exceeding 20 kt. Winds will decrease for a few hours Friday morning before increasing to gusts up to 21 kts (80-90+ % chance) Friday afternoon and evening. A Small Craft Advisory remains in effect for zones PZZ273, PZZ272, PZZ253, and PZZ252 through Friday evening. A weak front is expected to move through the waters on Saturday, shifting winds westerly to southwesterly. A more organized and stronger storm system will move into the northeast Pacific Sunday shifting winds southerly. Small Craft Wind gusts are likely with 90+% chance of gusts exceeding 21 kts and 50-60% chance of gusts reaching 30 kts. There`s also a 50-70% chance of a brief period of Gale Force winds of 35 kts Sunday afternoon or evening. -HEC && .PQR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... OR...None. WA...None. PZ...Small Craft Advisory until 11 PM PDT Friday for PZZ252-253-272- 273. && $$ www.weather.gov/portland Interact with us via social media: www.facebook.com/NWSPortland www.twitter.com/NWSPortland