262  
FXUS66 KMFR 170417  
AFDMFR  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEDFORD OR  
917 PM PDT FRI MAY 16 2025  
   
UPDATE
 
UPDATED AVIATION DISCUSSION.  
 

 
   
AVIATION...17/00Z TAFS
 
A FRONT IS MOVING INLAND TONIGHT  
BRINGING RAIN, MOUNTAIN OBSCURATIONS AND MVFR AND AREAS OF IFR  
CONDITIONS. ALONG THE COAST, EXPECT A MIX OF MVFR AND IFR  
CONDITIONS WITH AREAS OF LIFR THROUGH TONIGHT, TRANSITIONING TO  
MVFR SATURDAY MORNING. INLAND, RAIN MVFR WILL SPREAD INLAND AROUND  
05-11Z AND PERSIST THROUGH SATURDAY MORNING. MVFR CONDITIONS WILL  
BE WIDESPREAD ACROSS MUCH OF SOUTHERN OREGON ALONG WITH LOCAL IFR  
AND WIDESPREAD MOUNTAIN OBSCURATIONS. ACROSS NORTHERN CALIFORNIA,  
EXPECT A MIX OF VFR AND MVFR CONDITIONS TONIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY  
MORNING.  
 
ISOLATED TO SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS EMBEDDED WITH RAIN SHOWERS ARE  
EXPECTED TONIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY AFTERNOON ACROSS LAKE COUNTY AND  
MODOC COUNTY, INCLUDING LAKEVIEW AND ALTURAS. THIS RISK WILL REACH A  
PEAK TONIGHT AND EARLY SATURDAY MORNING, BUT CONTINUE INTO THE  
AFTERNOON. CHANCES FOR THUNDERSTORMS (15-20%) ARE ALSO EXPECTED  
TONIGHT INTO SATURDAY ACROSS DOUGLAS COUNTY, FOR THE SOUTHERN OREGON  
CASCADES AND NORTHERN AND EASTERN KLAMATH COUNTY.  
 
CEILINGS WILL GRADUALLY LIFT TO VFR SATURDAY AFTERNOON, BUT EXPECT  
AREAS OF MVFR TO LINGER IN HEAVIER SHOWERS. SHOWERS DECREASE IN  
COVERAGE SATURDAY EVENING, BECOMING LIMITED TO THE COAST, UMPQUA AND  
CASCADES, WHERE SOME AREAS OF MVFR CONDITIONS MAY PERSIST.  
 

 
   
PREV DISCUSSION
 
/ISSUED 811 PM PDT FRI MAY 16 2025/  
 
DISCUSSION...A FAIRLY VIGOROUS UPPER TROUGH OFFSHORE SUPPORTED BY  
A 150-KT JET WILL SHARPEN AS UPPER LEVEL ENERGY DIVES ESE INTO  
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA OVERNIGHT INTO SATURDAY MORNING. SHOWERS WILL  
BREAK OUT ALONG THE COAST LATER THIS EVENING, BUT THE BEST  
FORCING IS OVER THE EAST SIDE WHERE SHOWERS LIKELY DEVELOP QUICKLY  
BETWEEN 1-3 AM. THIS IS A BIT UNIQUE TO HAVE A SHARPENING UPPER  
TROUGH TO SWING THROUGH IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT AND ALSO TO  
HAVE ENOUGH INSTABILITY PRESENT EAST OF THE CASCADES (ABOUT  
300-500 J/KG) TO SUPPORT CONVECTION. AS SUCH, WE EXPECT ISOLATED  
TO SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS TO DEVELOP WITHIN THE BAND OF SHOWERS  
THAT GETS GOING (MAINLY EAST OF KLAMATH FALLS). BEST SHOT FOR  
THUNDER (20-30%) IS IN MODOC AND UP INTO PORTIONS OF LAKE COUNTY  
OVERNIGHT INTO SATURDAY MORNING. WE DON'T EXPECT SEVERE WEATHER,  
BUT SOME OF THE STRONGER CELLS COULD CONTAIN GUSTY WINDS AND, OF  
COURSE, CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING. THE MAIN AXIS OF INSTABILITY  
SHIFTS TO THE EAST DURING SATURDAY MORNING, BUT THE COLD POOL  
ALOFT WILL MOVE IN, SO WE'LL MAINTAIN SCATTERED SHOWERS, MOST  
NUMEROUS NEAR AND NORTH OF THE UMQPUA DIVIDE, OVER THE CASCADES  
AND FROM AROUND WINTER RIM EASTWARD OVER THE EAST SIDE. THERE IS  
ALSO A RISK OF THUNDER IN PORTIONS OF DOUGLAS COUNTY SATURDAY IN  
ANY OF THE HEAVIER SHOWERS, BUT ISOLATED (15-20% CHANCE) AT BEST.  
FOR THE ROGUE VALLEY, SHOWERS WILL BE MORE HIT-OR-MISS. SOME AREAS  
MAY HAVE BRIEF DOWNPOURS, WHILE OTHERS MISS OUT ALL TOGETHER.  
LOCALLY BREEZY CONDITIONS DEVELOP TOO SATURDAY, ESPECIALLY EAST OF  
THE CASCADES IN THE AFTERNOON WHERE NON-THUNDERSTORM WIND GUSTS  
COULD BE 30-40 MPH. OVERALL, EXPECT A COOLER THAN NORMAL DAY WITH  
HIGHS GENERALLY IN THE 60-65F RANGE FOR THE WEST SIDE AND 55-60F  
EAST OF THE CASCADES. SHOWER COVERAGE DIMINISHES SATURDAY  
AFTERNOON/EVENING AS WARMER AIR ALOFT MOVES IN, THOUGH SOME DO  
LINGER NEAR THE CASCADES DUE TO MOIST ONSHORE FLOW. -SPILDE  
 
MARINE...UPDATED 800 PM FRIDAY, MAY 16, 2025...RAIN SHOWERS WITH  
LIGHT TO MODERATE WINDS AND INCREASING WEST SEAS ARE EXPECTED  
TONIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY MORNING. ANOTHER FRONTAL SYSTEM WILL MOVE  
INTO THE AREA ON MONDAY WITH WINDS VEERING FROM SOUTH TO  
NORTHWEST. NORTHERLY WINDS WILL INCREASE ON TUESDAY FROM THE BRIEF  
DEVELOPMENT OF A THERMAL TROUGH NEAR SHORE. MEANTIME, BUILDING  
SEAS ON TUESDAY MAY POSSIBLY BECOMING HIGH AND STEEP WITH THE  
COMBINATION OF THE HIGHER WIND WAVES AND A BUILDING WEST-NORTHWEST  
SWELL AT 13 SECONDS. CONDITIONS ARE LIKELY TO IMPROVE SLIGHTLY ON  
WEDNESDAY.  
 
PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 253 PM PDT FRI MAY 16 2025/  
 
DISCUSSION...CLOUD COVER IS REBUILDING THIS AFTERNOON AHEAD OF  
AN APPROACHING UPPER TROUGH. THE FIRST IMPACTS FROM THIS  
APPROACHING SYSTEM WILL BE THUNDERSTORM CHANCES DEVELOPING EAST OF  
THE CASCADES LATE TONIGHT INTO EARLY SATURDAY MORNING. THE BEST  
CHANCES (10-15%) WILL BE ACROSS MODOC AND SOUTHERN LAKE COUNTIES,  
WITH LESSER CHANCES (5-10%) COVERING EASTERN KLAMATH AND NORTHERN  
LAKE COUNTIES. ANY THUNDERSTORMS THAT DEVELOP ARE LIKELY TO BE  
ISOLATED AND REMAIN BELOW SEVERE THRESHOLDS. THUNDERSTORM CHANCES  
INCREASE TO 15-20% ACROSS LAKE AND MODOC COUNTIES ON SATURDAY  
AFTERNOON BEFORE DECREASING THROUGH SATURDAY EVENING AND NIGHT.  
OTHER AREAS ARE EXPECTED TO SEE AT LEAST LIGHT SHOWERS AT SOME  
POINT BETWEEN SATURDAY MORNING AND SUNDAY AFTERNOON. OVERALL  
AMOUNTS WILL BE UNIMPACTFUL. COOS COUNTY, THE CASCADES, AREAS  
AROUND AND EAST OF LAKESIDE, AND THE WARNER MOUNTAINS ARE EXPECTED  
TO SEE BETWEEN 0.25 AND 0.50 INCHES OF RAINFALL. OCCASIONAL SNOW  
SHOWERS ARE POSSIBLE OVER THE CASCADES EARLY SUNDAY MORNING, BUT  
ACCUMULATION IS NOT EXPECTED. THE UMPQUA VALLEY MAY SEE 0.10  
INCHES OF RAINFALL, AND OTHER AREAS WILL HAVE RAINFALL MEASURED IN  
THE HUNDRETHS. TEMPERATURES WILL COOL THROUGH THE WEEKEND AS THE  
TROUGH MOVES OVER THE AREA.  
 
SEASONAL TEMPERATURES UNDER ZONAL FLOW ALOFT LOOK TO CONTINUE  
THROUGH THE WEEK. A COUPLE OF WEAK DISTURBANCES MAY BRIEFLY AFFECT  
CONDITIONS FOR CERTAIN LOCATIONS. ON MONDAY, A WEAK FRONT COULD  
BRING SOME CLOUDS TO COOS AND EASTERN DOUGLAS COUNTIES. BRIEF  
SHOWERS ARE POSSIBLE OVER THESE AREAS ON MONDAY MORNING AND  
AFTERNOON, BUT AMOUNTS WILL BE ONE OR TWO HUNDRETHS AT MOST. ON  
WEDNESDAY OR THURSDAY, A WEAK DISTURBANCE COULD BRING GUSTY WINDS  
AND ISOLATED SHOWERS TO THE NORTHERNMOST BORDER OF THE CWA.  
DETERMINISTIC GUIDANCE FOR BOTH THE ECMWF AND THE GFS SHOW SOME  
UPPER INSTABILITY PASSING OVER THE AREA, WITH SOME VARIATION IN  
TIMING AND STRUCTURE. INDIVIDUAL ENSEMBLE MEMBERS FOR BOTH THE GFS  
AND ECMWF ARE SPLIT ON SHOWING THE DISTURBANCE OR NOT, AND THOSE  
THAT SHOW IT DO SO WITH SOME VARIATION IN TIMING AND LOCATION.  
 
ZONAL FLOW CONTINUES ON FRIDAY, WITH SOME UNCERTAINTY FOR THE  
WEEKEND. WHILE BOTH MODELS SHOW SOME AMOUNT OF UPPER LEVEL RIDGING,  
THE STRENGTH AND POSITION OF THE RIDGE VARY. THE GENERAL EXPECTATION  
SEEMS TO BE ADDITIONAL WARMING ON SATURDAY AND SUNDAY, BUT LITTLE  
OVERALL CONSENSUS ON HOW WARM NEXT WEEKEND WILL BE. NBM  
PROBABILISTIC GUIDANCE ECHOS THIS UNCERTAINTY, WITH DAYTIME HIGHS  
FORECAST TO BE FROM SEASONAL TEMPERATURES TO 10 DEGREES ABOVE ON  
NEXT SUNDAY. -TAD  
 
MARINE....UPDATED 200 PM FRIDAY, MAY 16, 2025...A TROUGH WILL  
PRODUCE LIGHT SHOWERS WITH MODERATE WINDS AND MODERATE SWELL  
DOMINATED SEAS TONIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY MORNING. NORTHWEST WINDS WILL  
BE STRONGEST SATURDAY EVENING SOUTH OF BROOKINGS. ANOTHER SEASONABLE  
SYSTEM WILL FOLLOW ON MONDAY WITH WINDS VEERING FROM SOUTH TO  
NORTHWEST. NORTHERLY WINDS WILL INCREASE ON TUESDAY FROM THE BRIEF  
DEVELOPMENT OF A THERMAL TROUGH NEAR SHORE. MEANTIME, BUILDING SEAS  
ON TUESDAY MAY POSSIBLY BECOMING HIGH AND STEEP WITH THE COMBINATION  
OF THE HIGHER WIND WAVES AND A BUILDING WEST-NORTHWEST SWELL AT 13  
SECONDS. CONDITIONS ARE LIKELY TO IMPROVE SLIGHTLY ON WEDNESDAY.  
-DW  
 

 
   
MFR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
 
 
OR...NONE.  
 
CA...NONE.  
 
PACIFIC COASTAL WATERS...NONE.  
 

 
 

 
 
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