287
FXUS66 KPDT 071752
AFDPDT

Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Pendleton OR
952 AM PST Sat Feb 7 2026

.Updated Aviation Discussion.


.DISCUSSION...
Stratus and patchy fog continue to impact the
Columbia Basin and adjacent valleys/foothills tonight thanks to a
ridge of high pressure persisting overhead. Areas outside of the
Columbia Basin are currently under mostly clear skies, though
satellite does show cirrus beginning to cross the Cascade crest
at this time. Expect clear skies to be replaced with high to mid
level cloud cover through the remainder of the day, while the
low stratus and patchy fog in the Basin will persist through the
morning hours.

Today through Monday: Precipitation chances will return to the
forecast area today as a weak plume of moisture arrives to the
PacNW with a surface frontal system. Snow levels will remain
above 6kft through tomorrow morning, resulting in mostly rain
falling below the highest peaks in the mountain areas. By early
Sunday morning, a stalled front will lay northeast to southwest
across the forecast area, resulting in steady precipitation
falling outside of the WA Cascade east slopes and the
Yakima/Kittitas valleys. Snow levels will be 4kft to 5.5kft
across central WA, but rising to 5.5kft to 7kft across the
remainder of the forecast area, resulting in mostly rain falling
through the first half of Sunday. A shortwave arriving to the
region the latter half of Sunday will pull the stalled frontal
boundary/deformation area north while dropping snow levels to
3kft to 4.5kft Sunday night. This will result in the best chance
of snow accumulations across the Cascades and Blues, though the
NBM is only showing a 40-65% chance of 4 inches of snow
accumulations in these areas through Monday morning.

The incoming shortwave late Sunday will produce breezy winds
in the lower elevations and along exposed ridges, with wind
gusts between 25 to 35 mph developing Sunday night into Monday
morning.

Light snow will continue across the Cascade crest and the
interior northern Blues as flow aloft becomes zonal briefly
early Monday. By Monday evening, flow aloft will transition into
a split flow that will bring dry conditions across the region.

Tuesday through Friday: Ensemble cluster guidance indicates that
the split flow pattern will persist through early Thursday
before a trough drops south from the Gulf of Alaska and sets up
offshore the PacNW. Ensemble cluster solutions are in great
agreement that conditions will remain dry under the split flow
pattern. But by late Thursday into Friday, disagreement grows
with strength and position of the approaching trough. Confidence
is at least moderate(45-60%) in a return of light to moderate
snow in the mountains, with low confidence (15-25%) in heavy
snow along the Cascade east slopes and Blues with more
widespread rain/snow mix or rain across the remainder of the
forecast area. Lawhorn/82

&&

.AVIATION /18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z SUNDAY/...Variable conditions
currently across all sites, with VFR at KRDM/KBND, MVFR at
KDLS/KYKM/KPSC, IFR at KALW, and LIFR at KPDT due to reduced
visibilities of 1/4SM and ceilings of 200 feet. These
conditions are expected to improve through the afternoon as a
system approaches and mixes out fog and lifts ceilings to
between 3-10kft. These lower ceilings are likely to occur at
KDLS and KYKM with VFR ceilings elsewhere. Widespread light
rain associated with the system this evening, with LIFR
conditions returning for KPDT/KALW due to fog development
(1/2SM) and IFR for KRDM/KBDN due to reduced visibilities of
less than 2SM and ceilings of 1500 feet. All other terminals
will experience MVFR conditions due to ceilings. Winds will stay
light and below 10 kts through the period. 75

&&

.Preliminary Point Temps/PoPs...
PDT  43  51  38  50 /  70  90  80  20
ALW  44  50  39  49 /  80 100  90  40
PSC  42  50  38  55 /  70  90  60  10
YKM  38  47  33  50 /  50  70  40  10
HRI  42  50  38  53 /  70  90  60  10
ELN  36  42  31  45 /  60  70  40  10
RDM  40  52  29  47 /  60  90  40   0
LGD  42  50  35  45 /  70 100 100  50
GCD  42  52  34  44 /  50  90  90  20
DLS  44  49  38  52 /  90  90  60  20

&&

.PDT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
WA...None.
OR...Air Quality Alert until noon PST today for ORZ506-509.
     Dense Fog Advisory until noon PST today for ORZ507.

&&

$$

DISCUSSION...82
AVIATION...75