696  
FXUS66 KPQR 011752 AAA  
AFDPQR  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PORTLAND OR  
1052 AM PDT WED MAY 1 2024  
 
UPDATED AVIATION DISCUSSION AND HAZARDS.  
 

 
   
SYNOPSIS
 
MOSTLY DRY CONDITIONS PREVAIL TODAY BEFORE ANOTHER  
SYSTEM ARRIVES THIS EVENING INTO THURSDAY MORNING. THIS WILL  
BRING ANOTHER ROUND OF RAIN AND MOUNTAIN SNOW ABOVE 4000 FT.  
HEAVIEST SNOWFALL WILL BE ABOVE 5500 FT. A MORE ROBUST SYSTEM  
ARRIVES FRIDAY, WITH FORECAST PRECIPITATION AROUND 0.75-1.5 INCH  
ACROSS NORTHWEST OREGON AND SOUTHWEST WASHINGTON. SNOW LEVELS  
FRIDAY WILL RISE ABOVE 6500 FT. RIVERS STILL HAVE A LESS THAN 5%  
CHANCE OF REACHING ACTION STAGE. WET, UNSETTLED WEATHER LIKELY  
CONTINUES OVER THE WEEKEND THROUGH AT LEAST EARLY NEXT WEEK.  
 

 
   
SHORT TERM...NOW THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT
 
CONDITIONS WILL BE  
MOSTLY DRY TODAY BEFORE THE NEXT SYSTEM ARRIVES THIS EVENING.  
WE'LL HAVE SOME RELATIVELY WARMER HIGH TEMPERATURES TODAY  
COMPARED TO WHAT WE'VE EXPERIENCED THE LAST COUPLE DAYS.  
AFTERNOON HIGHS ARE FORECAST IN THE LOW 50S ALONG THE COAST,  
UPPER 50S/LOW 60S FOR INLAND VALLEYS, AND 40S FOR HIGHER  
TERRAIN.  
 
THE NEXT LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL ARRIVE WEDNESDAY EVENING TO  
THURSDAY MORNING, BRINGING ANOTHER ROUND OF PRECIPITATION.  
EXPECT LOWLAND RAIN SHOWERS AND CASCADE SNOW SHOWERS, WITH SNOW  
LEVELS AROUND 4000-4500 FT. THE BULK OF THE SNOW WILL BE ABOVE  
THE CASCADE PASSES. 24 HR SNOW AMOUNTS ENDING 5 PM THURSDAY ARE  
FORECAST AROUND 2-5 INCHES ABOVE 4000 FT, EXCEPT UP TO 10  
INCHES ABOVE 5500 FT. HAVE DECIDED NOT TO ISSUE A WINTER  
WEATHER ADVISORY FOR THE CASCADES CONSIDERING THAT THE HEAVIEST  
SNOWFALL FOR THIS SYSTEM WILL BE ABOVE THE PASSES AND FORECAST  
SNOW AMOUNTS LOOK LESS THAN WHAT WE'VE SEEN WITH THE PREVIOUS  
SYSTEMS EARLIER THIS WEEK. CURRENT NBM GUIDANCE SUGGESTS A LESS  
THAN 5% CHANCE THAT THE CASCADE PASSES SEE 24 HR SNOWFALL GREATER  
THAN 5 INCHES ENDING 5 PM THURSDAY.  
 
THURSDAY AFTERNOON TO LATE THURSDAY NIGHT, CONDITIONS WILL DRY  
UP BRIEFLY BEFORE ANOTHER SYSTEM APPROACHES THE PACIFIC  
NORTHWEST ON FRIDAY. -ALVIZ  
 
   
LONG TERM...FRIDAY THROUGH TUESDAY
 
THE LONG TERM FORECAST IS  
CHARACTERIZED BY WET, UNSETTLED WEATHER AS A SERIES OF SYSTEMS  
PUSHES THROUGH THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST. WPC CLUSTER ANALYSES ARE  
IN AGREEMENT OF ANOTHER TROUGH PUSHING THROUGH THE REGION ON  
FRIDAY. THIS LOOKS LIKE A STRONGER SYSTEM WITH ABUNDANT MOISTURE  
AS GEFS AND ECMWF ENSEMBLE MEMBERS SHOW IVT VALUES PEAKING  
BETWEEN 250-500 KG/MS ON FRIDAY.  
 
THE LATEST NBM GUIDANCE SUGGESTS A 25-45% CHANCE THAT 24 HR QPF  
ENDING 11 AM SATURDAY EXCEEDS 2 INCHES FOR THE COAST RANGE AND  
CASCADES. FOR INLAND VALLEYS, THIS PROBABILITY IS LESS THAN 5%.  
FOR NOW, OUR CURRENT 24 HR QPF FORECAST ENDING 11 AM SATURDAY  
CALLS FOR 0.75-1 INCH FOR INLAND VALLEYS AND 1-1.5 INCH FOR THE  
COAST, COAST RANGE, AND CASCADES. THIS WILL ALSO BE A RELATIVELY  
WARMER SYSTEM, SO SNOW LEVELS DURING THIS TIME ARE FORECAST WELL  
ABOVE THE CASCADE PASSES (AROUND 6500-7000 FT).  
 
OVER THE WEEKEND (SAT-SUN), WPC CLUSTERS ARE IN AGREEMENT THAT  
THIS ROBUST UPPER LEVEL TROUGH WILL CONTINUE TO PROGRESS  
SOUTHEAST TOWARD NORTHERN CALIFORNIA AND THE GREAT BASIN. AS IT  
DOES, ADDITIONAL PRECIPITATION WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE  
WEEKEND. CHANCES FOR 48 HR QPF EXCEEDING 1 INCH ENDING 5 AM  
MONDAY ARE AROUND 40-60% FOR THE COAST RANGE AND CASCADES, AND  
5-10% FOR INLAND VALLEYS.  
 
CURRENTLY, HEFS GUIDANCE SHOWS ALL RIVERS ACROSS NORTHWEST  
OREGON AND SOUTHWEST WASHINGTON HAVING A LESS THAN 5% CHANCE  
OF REACHING ACTION STAGE. HOWEVER, WE WILL STILL CONTINUE TO  
MONITOR THE POTENTIAL FOR HYDRO IMPACTS TO OUR RIVERS. FLOOD  
CONTROL RESERVOIRS ARE NOW FULL FOR SUMMER WATER SUPPLY, SO THE  
WILLAMETTE RIVER CAN BE MORE SUSCEPTIBLE TO FLOODING NOW. THOSE  
WITH RIVER INTERESTS SHOULD CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE FORECAST  
OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS.  
 
WPC CLUSTER ANALYSES ARE IN AGREEMENT OF ADDITIONAL TROUGHING  
OVER THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST MONDAY TO TUESDAY. THERE STILL  
REMAINS SOME UNCERTAINTY WITH HOW STRONG THE TROUGHING WILL BE,  
BUT THE MAJORITY OF ENSEMBLE MEMBERS SUGGESTS WE'LL MAINTAIN A  
WET PATTERN THROUGH AT LEAST EARLY NEXT WEEK. DON'T PUT YOUR  
RAIN JACKET OR RAIN BOOTS AWAY JUST YET! -ALVIZ  
 

 
   
AVIATION
 
MAINLY NON-IMPACTFUL POST-FRONTAL SHOWERS THIS  
MORNING, THOUGH THEY WILL TAPER IN THE AFTERNOON. SATELLITE SHOWS  
SOME BUBBLING CUMULUS EAST OF KPDX WITH STRATUS FROM THE COAST  
RANGE WESTWARD. WILL SEE SOME LIGHT THINNING AFTER 22Z AND MORE  
WIDESPREAD VFR, THOUGH SOME OF THE DRAINAGE AIRPORTS NEAR RIVERS  
(LIKE KKLS) WILL REMAIN MVFR DURING THIS IMPROVEMENT SESSION.  
 
A WARM FRONT WILL SLOWLY MOVE OVER THE REGION FROM THE SOUTHWEST  
AFTER 04Z THURSDAY FIRST IMPACTING THE CENTRAL OREGON COAST. THERE  
DOES APPEAR TO BE SOME OROGRAPHIC LIFT OVER THE COAST RANGE WITH  
RAIN SHADOWING FOR INLAND SITES NORTH OF KUAO. WILL SEE THE  
LOWEST CIGS FROM KSLE SOUTHWARD INCLUDING KEUG. THERE IS AROUND A  
50% CHANCE FOR NEAR IFR CIGS AFTER 08Z THURSDAY FROM KCVO  
SOUTHWARD. BECAUSE CONFIDENCE IS LOW, HAVE OMITTED FROM THE TAFS.  
LLWS IS NOT A CONCERNS AS WINDS ALOFT ARE UNIDIRECTIONAL. AFTER  
12Z THURSDAY, WILL SEE A TRANSITION TO EASTERLY WINDS THROUGH THE  
ATMOSPHERE.  
 
NOTES: THE ASOS AT KTTD IS ONLY AVAILABLE VIA THE DIAL IN OPTION.  
THERE IS NO ESTIMATED TIME OF FULL REPAIR AND RESTORATION FOR  
THIS LOCATION.  
 
PDX AND APPROACHES...VFR WITH A 40% CHANCE OF MVFR CIGS BASED ON  
HIGH RESOLUTION MODELS LATE (AFTER 06Z THURSDAY). BECAUSE IT IS A  
WARM FRONT INCOMING, HAVE LOWERED CIGS TO HIGH END MVFR LEVELS AS  
THAT IS A GENERAL TREND. RAIN WILL BE LIGHT, WITH NO IMPACTS TO  
VIS DUE TO A LACK OF WIND. LIGHT WINDS FOLLOW WITH EASTERLY  
WINDS ABOVE 1000 FT AGL WHILE SURFACE WINDS WILL BE VARIABLE.  
-MUESSLE  
 

 
   
MARINE
 
ACTIVE WEATHER PATTERN CONTINUES THROUGH THE WEEK AS  
PACIFIC FRONT MOVE THROUGH THE WATERS ABOUT ONCE A DAY, BRINGING  
PERIODS OF SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY WINDS. THE NEXT FRONT ARRIVES  
TONIGHT AND IS EXPECTED TO BRING SOUTHERLY WINDS GUSTS TO 25 KT,  
PRIMARILY OVER PZZ271 AND 272. THE NEXT FRONT FOR FRIDAY LOOKS  
A LITTLE STRONGER WITH GUSTS 20 TO 30 KT ACROSS MOST OF THE ZONES.  
A WEAKER FRONT FOLLOWS ON SATURDAY. SEAS AROUND 9 FT WITH A PERIOD  
AROUND 11 SECONDS EARLY THIS MORNING. SEAS WILL SUBSIDE TO AROUND  
4 TO 6 FT LATER TODAY THROUGH FRIDAY, THEN EXPECTED INCH UP TO  
NEAR 8 FT LATE IN THE WEEKEND.-MH  
 

 
   
PQR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
 
 
OR...NONE.  
WA...NONE.  
PZ...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FROM 6 PM THIS EVENING TO 5 AM PDT  
THURSDAY FOR PZZ271-272.  

 
 

 
 
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