Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Pendleton, OR
Issued by NWS Pendleton, OR
374 FXUS66 KPDT 282252 AFDPDT Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Pendleton OR 252 PM PST Fri Nov 28 2025 .DISCUSSION...Skies are clearing once again over much of the Basin as an upper-level trough that brought steady showers and mountain snow to much of the forecast area early this morning moves out of the PacNW. NW flow aloft will take its place as we enter a prolonged period of colder conditions, as ensemble guidance generally locks the forecast area under a steady synoptic pattern of NW flow with embedded shortwave activity within. While these shortwaves look to be relatively moisture-starved, our mountain zones and even lowland areas could see light snow over the next week as this pattern favors upslope enhancement of precip even in the absence of an atmosphere charged with moisture. Rest of the day looks dry, however low clouds and even patchy fog may persist and redevelop this evening given recent moisture and light winds in the forecast. The next best chance for precip (as part of the aforementioned shortwaves) looks to be late Saturday evening into Sunday morning. Models aren`t bullish on precip amounts, so no headlines look to be necessary, however should note that these NW systems do favor pockets of prolonged snowfall along the northern Blues and even into the foothills. The HREF in particular seems to suggest a low-end (30-40%) chance for snow along the foothills, stretching from Pendleton to Walla Walla. Snow levels seem borderline, and temps may warm up during the day Saturday, but the combination of oncoming cloud cover + cold pooling in the Basin makes me partially skeptical of the NBM snow level forecast. Could ultimately amount to nothing, but am still wary of stubborn, upslope snow showers given the pattern. But for the Blues themselves, expecting only about 1 to 2 inches at best. The next shortwave looks to arrive around Tuesday. This wave looks to be a bit more potent based on early NBM QPF readings (at least for the Blues), but much could change given how progressive the synoptic pattern is. The key will be where exactly the axis of this shortwave falls upon arrival. Otherwise, expect cold and generally cloudy conditions, with highs in the 40s and lows in the 20s across most areas. 74 && .AVIATION...00Z TAFs...Sub-VFR conditions due to low CIGs are affecting RDM/BDN are sub-MVFR and ALW is sub-VFR and will continue to remain as such through 14Z for RDM/BDN and 08Z for ALW. However, there is a 30% chance CIGs could return to sub-MVFR between 05-09Z at RDM/BDN. PDT is sub-VFR but may see a (60-80%) clearing of CIGs after 01Z only to see sub-VFR conditions return around 14Z. YKM/PSC are VFR and will remain VFR through the period. Winds are mostly variable and below 10kts. 90 && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... PDT 29 40 26 38 / 0 10 30 0 ALW 31 38 28 37 / 0 10 40 10 PSC 29 41 24 38 / 0 10 20 0 YKM 28 41 23 41 / 0 10 10 0 HRI 29 41 26 39 / 0 10 30 0 ELN 25 38 21 38 / 0 10 10 0 RDM 24 43 25 40 / 0 0 20 0 LGD 27 43 25 40 / 0 10 50 0 GCD 27 48 26 41 / 0 0 40 0 DLS 34 44 34 44 / 0 10 30 0 && .PDT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... OR...None. WA...None. && $$ DISCUSSION...74 AVIATION...90