Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Portland, OR

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744 FXUS66 KPQR 130954 AFDPQR Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Portland OR 252 AM PDT Thu Jun 13 2024 .SYNOPSIS...
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High pressure offshore maintains seasonably warm and dry conditions through Thursday. Low pressure then brings cool and showery weather Friday into the early part of next week, with a slight chance of thunderstorms Saturday into Sunday. Temperatures look to rebound near or above seasonal normals later next week. Key Messages... - Increasing onshore flow later this afternoon. - Cooler, with increasing clouds for Friday. Chance of showers along the coast (Tillamook northward) and west Washington. - Cool, with showers for Saturday through Monday. A small chance (15-25%) of afternoon/evening thunderstorms on Sat.
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&& .SHORT TERM...
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(Today through Friday night)...Not much change this morning, as still have high pressure offshore and dry north to northwest flow aloft. Overall, another pleasant mid-June day on tap for the region today, with highs in the 60s along the coast, and mid 70s for inland valleys. A few spots in the Willamette Valley may reach 80 this afternoon. But, not all that sold on that possibility. Main reason will be the increasing onshore flow this afternoon. Onshore pressure gradients will tighten this afternoon, as surface high offshore moves toward the coast. This will increasing the cooler marine air invasion through the gaps in the Coast Range and Willapa Hills this afternoon into this evening. So, temperatures will likely peak in the 2 to 4 pm timeframe, then drop back a bit as the marine air spreads into the interior lowlands. May be breezy in the usual spots in the western Willamette Valley as the marine air spreads inland. Such spots like the Philomath gap, Van Duzer Corridor, Siuslaw River gap to west of Eugene, will see gusty west to northwest winds later this afternoon, with gusts 20-25 mph for a time. In addition, will see up tick of west to northwest winds (though not as strong) along the Columbia River from Portland to Kelso. Breezy west winds likely in the mid-Columbia River Gorge from Bonneville eastward as well later today into tonight. Expect a pattern shift back towards cooler and cloudier weather on Friday as an upper level trough currently over the Gulf of Alaska descends upon the Pacific Northwest. This will drop temperatures back near or slightly below seasonal norms with highs in the upper 60s or low 70s and also bring a chance of showers as a weak front moves through the area. Shower chances look to be generally confined to areas along and north of a Lincoln City-Portland-Mt St Helens line through Friday evening before more widespread shower activity spreads across the area Friday night. Model QPF remains on the light side, ranging from 0.25 to 0.50" over the higher terrain, but generally a tenth of an inch or less for all other locations for Fri through Sat am. .LONG TERM...Saturday through Wednesday...WPC ensemble clusters remain in strong agreement on maintaining upper level troughing and a resulting cool, cloudy and showery pattern over the Pacific Northwest this weekend through the early part of next week. This is reflected in ensemble temperature forecasts which keep the area below normal with highs in the 60s through at least Monday. Cold air aloft will maintain showery conditions into Tuesday, though these look to be mainly spotty in nature with model QPF amounts remaining light through the period. Guidance indicates a 15-25 percent chance for a few rumbles of thunder across the north both Saturday and Sunday afternoon, which will largely be dependent on if there are enough sun breaks to allow for adequate destabilization. Temperatures look to rebound into the 70s next Tuesday and Wednesday as the majority of ensemble clusters depict the trough starting to shift east of the region by midweek. /CB
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&& .AVIATION...
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VFR conditions continue to dominate, with fairly clear cloud cover for most terminals. The southern coastal terminals (KONP) see a 10-30% chance of some low scattered cloud cover developing in the latter half of the night, clearing by 20z Thu. Regardless, no chance for MVFR ceilings as this is expected to be scattered and patchy cloud cover. Light northwesterly flow is in place, with winds generally below 7 kts at all terminals. Winds pick up slightly through Thursday afternoon, with top winds up to 25kt inland and 30kt at the coast. These will decrease by 05z Thu, becoming fairly light afterwards. /JLiu PDX AND APPROACHES...Predominantly VFR and clear skies throughout the TAF period. Weak northwesterly winds up to 7 kts currently, increasing around 17-18z Thu. These peak in the evening, with northwesterly gusts up to 20 kts possible around that time. Winds decrease again going into Thursday night back to weak winds. /JLiu
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&& .MARINE...
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Wind-driven Small Craft Advisory continues until Thursday night for the inner and outer waters. Seas are currently around 7-9 feet at 9 seconds, with northerly winds gusting up to 25 until Thursday evening, when they begin to decrease. Winds decrease enough to end the SCA at that time. Seas will have settled to 5 to 7 ft around this time, but may remain choppy. Next front will arrive late Friday, shifting winds back to westerly at 10 to 15 kt for late Friday into early Sunday. -JH/JLiu
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&& .PQR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
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OR...None. WA...None. PZ...Small Craft Advisory until 11 PM PDT this evening for PZZ251>253-271>273.
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