766  
FXUS66 KMFR 160456  
AFDMFR  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEDFORD OR  
856 PM PST SAT FEB 15 2025  
   
..UPDATED AVIATION AND MARINE DISCUSSIONS  
 
   
AVIATION...16/06Z TAFS  
MVFR CEILINGS WILL BEGIN TO SPREAD  
ACROSS THE AREA TONIGHT AS A FRONT APPROACHES. SHOWERS ALONG THE  
COAST THIS EVENING WILL SPREAD EASTWARD OVERNIGHT, THEN MORE  
UNIFORM STEADY RAIN IS EXPECTED ALONG WITH MVFR/IFR CONDITIONS FOR  
MUCH OF THE DAY TOMORROW, WITH THE HEAVIEST PRECIPITATION ALONG  
THE COAST AND OVER THE CASCADES. SNOW LEVELS WILL STEADILY RISE  
TO 4000-5000 FEET THROUGH THE TAF PERIOD, ALTHOUGH THERE WILL BE  
ISOLATED AREAS WITH MORE PERSISTENT LOWER SNOW LEVELS.  
 
THE FRONT WILL ALSO BRING PERIODS OF LOW LEVEL WIND SHEAR AS IT  
MOVES OVER THE AREA, ESPECIALLY OVER ELEVATED TERRAIN. WHILE  
ROSEBURG DOES NOT HAVE SHEAR NOTED IN THE TAF FORECAST, SHEAR IS  
PRESENT AROUND THE UMPQUA VALLEY AT ABOUT THE SAME TIMEFRAME AS  
NORTH BEND. LOW LEVEL WIND SHEAR IS GENERALLY ABSENT ACROSS THE AREA  
BY MORNING, WITH A FEW ISOLATED POCKETS OVER LAKE AND MODOC  
COUNTIES, WHERE MOUNTAIN WAVE TURBULENCE IS POSSIBLE.  
-TAD/BPN  
 
 
   
MARINE...UPDATED 800 PM PST SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2025  
AN  
INCOMING FRONT WILL PRODUCE GUSTY SOUTH WINDS, VERY STEEP SEAS,  
AND MARINE SHOWERS THROUGH SUNDAY MORNING. GUSTS MAY APPROACH  
GALE FORCE AT TIMES, BUT WIDESPREAD GALES ARE NOT FORECAST FOR  
AREA WATERS.  
 
WINDS EASE ON SUNDAY MORNING, BUT LONG-PERIOD WESTERLY SWELL WILL  
BUILD IN AREA WATERS AND SUSTAIN STEEP SEAS THROUGH THE START OF  
NEXT WEEK. SEAS OF 14 TO 16 FEET AT 14 TO 16 SECONDS ARE FORECAST  
THROUGH MOST OF MONDAY, WITH SEAS IMPROVING INTO TUESDAY.  
 
BEYOND TUESDAY, SIGNIFICANT DISTURBANCES ARE NOT EXPECTED. LONG-TERM  
GUIDANCE SUGGESTS SEAS GENERALLY STAYING BETWEEN 9 AND 12 FEET.  
ANOTHER FRONT COULD BRING ANOTHER ROUND OF GUSTY SOUTHERLY WINDS  
TUESDAY INTO WEDNESDAY, BUT THESE ALSO LOOK TO REMAIN BELOW GALE  
STRENGTH RIGHT NOW. -TAD/BPN  
 
 
 
PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 227 PM PST SAT FEB 15 2025/  
 
DISCUSSION...RADAR IS SHOWING RETURNS AHEAD OF THE MAIN FRONT  
ALONG THE COAST AND PORTIONS OF DOUGLAS COUNTY. HOWEVER, NONE OF  
THAT HAS REACHED THE GROUND AS OF YET. EVEN SO, COULD NOT RULE OUT  
ISOLATED SHOWERS AHEAD OF THE FRONT ALONG THE COAST AND JUST  
INLAND, AND PARTS OF DOUGLAS COUNTY LATE THIS AFTERNOON.  
 
PRECIPITATION WILL INCREASE ALONG THE THE COAST EARLY THIS EVENING,  
THEN MOVING INLAND TONIGHT. SNOW LEVELS TONIGHT ARE EXPECTED TO BE  
AROUND 4500 FEET. UPPER TROUGHING WITH A MOIST WESTERLY FLOW WILL  
PERSIST INTO MONDAY. THIS WILL RESULT IN A CONTINUATION OF SHOWERS  
OVER MOST OF THE AREA, WITH SHOWERS MAINLY CONCENTRATED ALONG THE  
CASCADES. HOWEVER, SEVERAL OF THE HIGH RES GUIDANCE SUGGEST THERE  
COULD BE A RELATIVE BREAK IN PRECIPITATION FROM ABOUT MID MORNING  
UNTIL MID AFTERNOON SUNDAY.  
 
THE CONCERN FOR PERSISTENT SNOW IN THE CASCADES IS EXPECTED TONIGHT  
WITH A MOIST WESTERLY FLOW PROVIDING GOOD OROGRAPHICS ALONG THE  
CASCADES THROUGH AT LEAST MONDAY AFTERNOON. GUIDANCE SUGGEST  
SNOWFALL RATES COULD INCREASE SUNDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT  
WITH A GOOD CHANCE (70-90%) FOR SNOWFALL RATES OF AN INCH PER HOUR  
LATE SUNDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT. THIS WILL BE THE MAIN  
DRIVING FORCE FOR KEEPING THE WINTER STORM WARNING OUT. UNDER  
DIFFERENT CIRCUMSTANCES, STORM TOTAL SNOW IS OVER A LONG DURATION  
AND THIS IN ITSELF WOULD NOT BE ENOUGH TO WARRANT A WINTER STORM  
WARNING, BUT SNOWFALL RATES WILL.  
 
MOIST ONSHORE FLOW WITH AN UPPER TROUGH OVER THE AREA MONDAY WILL  
KEEP THE SHOWERS GOING, WITH MOST CONCENTRATED IN THE OROGRAPHIC  
FAVORED UPSLOPE AREAS ALONG THE CASCADES, AND THE COASTAL MOUNTAINS,  
IN SOUTHWEST OREGON.  
 
SNOWFALL ACCUMULATIONS FOR THE CASCADES COULD BE MITIGATED DURING THE  
DAY MONDAY DUE TO DAYTIME HEATING SHOULD PUT A CAP ON THE AMOUNT OF  
SNOW IN THE AFTERNOON.  
 
SHOWERS WILL CONTINUE INTO MONDAY NIGHT, BUT THEY WILL BE GRADUALLY  
DIMINISHING AND MOST WILL BE CONCENTRATED ALONG THE CASCADES.  
 
UPPER RIDGING BUILDS INTO THE AREA BRIEFLY TUESDAY MORNING WHICH  
SHOULD GIVE US A BREAK IN PRECIPITATION. THIS WON'T LAST LONG WITH  
STRONGER EVIDENCE POINTING TOWARDS WARM FRONTAL PRECIPITATION MOVING  
INTO THE AREA (CASCADES WEST) TUESDAY AFTERNOON. SNOW LEVELS TUESDAY  
AFTERNOON WILL BE ON THE RISE TO AROUND 5500 FEET TUESDAY AFTERNOON  
AND NEAR 6000 FEET TUESDAY EVENING.  
 
A COLD FRONT AND UPPER TROUGH WILL MOVE IN EARLY WEDNESDAY MORNING  
WITH SNOW LEVELS FALLING IN THE MORNING, THEN REBOUNDING SOME IN THE  
AFTERNOON DUE TO DIURNAL EFFECTS. HOWEVER SNOW LEVELS WILL VARY  
DEPENDING ON PRECIP INTENSITY SINCE WE'LL BE IN A CONVECTIVE  
ENVIRONMENT.  
 
THERE ARE SIGNS POINTING TOWARDS A QUIETER PATTERN THE LATTER PART  
OF NEXT WEEK. THE CLUSTERS ARE ALL POINTING TOWARDS UPPER RIDGING  
WITH THE STORM TRACK NORTH OF THE AREA, AND THE MAJORITY OF THE  
INDIVIDUAL ENSEMBLE MEMBERS POINT TOWARDS DRY WEATHER WITH THE STORM  
TRACK STAYING NORTH, THEN SHIFTING JUST FAR ENOUGH SOUTH TO WARRANT  
A SLIGHT CHANCE OF PRECIPITATION FOR THE NORTHWEST PART OF THE  
FORECAST AREA. -PETRUCELLI  
 
MARINE...UPDATED 230 PM PST SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2025...AN  
INCOMING FRONT IS BRINGING GUSTY SOUTHERLY WINDS AND MARINE SHOWERS  
TO AREA WATERS THIS AFTERNOON. WIND-BUILT VERY STEEP SEAS ARE  
EXPECTED THIS EVENING INTO SUNDAY MORNING. GUSTS WILL REACH NEAR-  
GALE SPEEDS, BUT WIDESPREAD GALES ARE NOT FORECAST FOR AREA WATERS.  
 
WINDS EASE ON SUNDAY MORNING, BUT LONG-PERIOD WESTERLY SWELL WILL  
BUILD IN AREA WATERS AND SUSTAIN STEEP SEAS THROUGH THE START OF  
NEXT WEEK. SEAS OF 14 TO 16 FEET AT 14 TO 16 SECONDS ARE FORECAST  
THROUGH MOST OF MONDAY, WITH SEAS IMPROVING INTO TUESDAY.  
 
BEYOND TUESDAY, SIGNIFICANT DISTURBANCES ARE NOT EXPECTED. LONG-TERM  
GUIDANCE SUGGESTS SEAS GENERALLY STAYING BETWEEN 9 AND 12 FEET.  
ANOTHER FRONT COULD BRING ANOTHER ROUND OF GUSTY SOUTHERLY WINDS  
TUESDAY INTO WEDNESDAY, BUT THESE ALSO LOOK TO REMAIN BELOW GALE  
STRENGTH RIGHT NOW. -TAD  
 
 
   
MFR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES  
 
OR...WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL 4 PM PST MONDAY FOR ORZ027-028.  
 
CA...NONE.  
 
PACIFIC COASTAL WATERS...HAZARDOUS SEAS WARNING UNTIL 10 AM PST  
SUNDAY FOR PZZ350-356-370-376.  
 
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FROM 10 AM SUNDAY TO 4 PM PST MONDAY FOR  
PZZ350-356-370-376.  
 
 
 
 
CLICK HERE TO GO TO PREVIOUS BULLETINS.
The Nexlab OR Page
The Nexlab CA Page
Main Text Page