Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Portland, OR

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132 FXUS66 KPQR 200836 AFDPQR Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Portland OR 136 AM PDT Thu Jun 20 2024 .SYNOPSIS...
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Much warmer through the remainder of the week under building high pressure, with moderate heat risk expected from Portland to Salem Thursday through Saturday. More seasonable temperatures return Sunday into early next week. Conditions will remain dry over the next week aside from areas of coastal drizzle Saturday night/Sunday morning.
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&& .DISCUSSION...
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Thursday through Tuesday night...High pressure dominants the weather pattern over the next several days, bringing mostly sunny skies with hot afternoon temperatures inland. Heat risk remains in the moderate category from Portland to Salem Thursday through Saturday with high temps in the upper 80s to lower 90s. Confidence is high in regards to the temperature forecast as very little model spread is evident; the NBM 1D Viewer highlights this well as the 10th-90th percentile only ranges from 89-93F on Thursday and 87-94F on Friday in the Portland metro. While high temps in the lower 90s in mid to late June isn`t quite enough to warrant a Heat Advisory, those extremely sensitive to heat could suffer from heat exhaustion or heat stroke if exposed to the heat for long enough, especially in direct sunlight. Be sure to stay hydrated and for those who must work outside, plan on frequent breaks during the afternoon hours. Much cooler at the coast where low-level onshore flow will keep high temps in the upper 60s to lower 70s. -TK Confidence is high for a period of relatively cooler temperatures across all of northwest OR and western WA Sunday into early next week as onshore flow strengthens over the area, however models and their ensembles show a fair amount of model spread regarding temps. The coolest model guidance suggests high temps around 70F over inland valleys, while the warmest guidance suggests highs in the lower 80s. The outcome will be highly dependent on the degree of morning cloud cover. Nevertheless, it will most definitely be cooler compared to the next few days. Despite the cooler temps, conditions look to remain dry through early next week across the area. The only exception to that is at the coast Saturday night/Sunday morning when a period of drizzle or light rain is possible from Lincoln City northward with a passing shortwave trough. This shortwave trough will deepen the marine layer to around 1-1.5 km according to NAM/GFS soundings, which is more than deep enough to produce drizzle given the weak lift in place. Nearly every ensemble members from the GEFS/EPS/CMC shows light QPF amounts in Astoria. In fact, some members from the CMC show upwards of 0.1 inches of rain. The current forecast mentions areas of drizzle, which seems reasonable for now. -TK
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&& .AVIATION...
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Upper level troughing over the region this morning with light west-northwesterly flow aloft. Surface high pressure remains over the region with dry conditions. This will maintain VFR with variable high clouds at times, except at the coast where onshore flow will maintain areas of IFR stratus through this morning. Expect gradual clearing working its way southward along the coast later this morning, by 18Z at KAST. There is around a 40-50% chance that conditions improve to MVFR or VFR at KONP this afternoon. PDX AND APPROACHES...VFR expected with mostly clear skies. Northwest winds increasing to around 8-10 kt this afternoon. /DH
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&& .MARINE...
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Not much change as high pressure offshore is expected to persist through the week. Northerly winds around 15-20 kt will continue today, strongest offshore beyond 10 NM. Expect periods of winds gusting up to 25 kt through Friday during the late afternoon and evenings. Will maintain the Small Craft Advisory for the outer coastal waters through this evening. Will likely need another advisory on Friday. Seas around 4 to 6 feet will generally be wind driven through the week. A weak front is expected to approach the coastal waters this weekend, weakening the high pressure. Winds will likely become more onshore and ease to below 15 kt. The front will also bring an increasing westerly swell, though seas are only likely to build up to 8 ft on Sunday. /DH
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&& .PQR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
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OR...None. WA...None. PZ...Small Craft Advisory until 8 PM PDT this evening for PZZ271>273.
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