496  
FXUS66 KPDT 190623  
AFDPDT  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PENDLETON OR  
1023 PM PST MON NOV 18 2024  
   
UPDATE AVIATION DISCUSSION
 
 
   
AVIATION....AVIATION...06Z TAFS
 
ALL SITES ARE CURRENTLY IN  
VFR. RAIN, SNOW, AND GUSTY WINDS WILL BE THE HIGHLIGHTS FOR THIS  
TAF PERIOD WITH THE FRONTAL SYSTEM PASSING. THIS COULD BRING  
MVFR/IFR CONDITIONS FOR KDLS AND KYKM, PARTICULARLY. VSBYS AND  
CIGS MAY DROP DUE TO RAIN AND SNOW AT KDLS OVERNIGHT THROUGH  
TOMORROW MORNING AND AGAIN IN THE EVENING. KYKM MAY EXPERIENCE  
SNOW AND RAIN AS WELL TOMORROW EVENING INTO NIGHT THUS LOWERING  
VSBYS AND CIGS. KRDM/KBDN WILL HAVE LIGHT SNOW THAT COULD  
MARGINALLY IMPACT THEIR VSBYS OVERNIGHT. KPDT, KRDM, KBDN, AND  
KALW WILL BE GUSTING AT 25-35KTS BETWEEN 21Z-05Z WITH BREEZY WINDS  
(15- 25KTS), BUT WINDS WILL BE STRONGER FOR KRDM/KBDN AFTER 06Z  
TOMORROW. FEASTER/97  
 

 
   
PREV DISCUSSION
 
/ISSUED 341 PM PST MON NOV 18 2024/  
 
UPDATED AVIATION DISCUSSION.  
 
SHORT TERM...TONIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY...LINGERING SHOWERS AND  
SNOW SHOWERS ARE NOTED ACROSS THE MOUNTAINS THIS EVENING AS WE  
WRAP UP ON THE BACK SIDE OF A TROUGH EXITING THE REGION, BUT ZONAL  
FLOW THROUGH TUESDAY MORNING WILL CONTINUE TO PROMOTE MOISTURE  
MOVING INTO THE CASCADES WITH PERIODS OF LIGHT SNOWFALL POSSIBLE  
ALONG AND JUST PAST THE CRESTS.  
 
THE REAL STORY NOW FOR THE SHORT TERM COMES IN THE FORM OF A VERY  
STRONG OFFSHORE LOW THAT WILL DESCEND FROM THE GULF OF ALASKA AND  
DEEPEN CONSIDERABLY NEAR THE OFFSHORE BORDERS OF CANADA AND THE  
US. MAJOR MODELS ARE ALL INDICATING THIS SYSTEM WILL NEAR OR DROP  
JUST BELOW 940MB, BRINGING HURRICANE FORCE OFFSHORE WINDS AND A  
STEADY STREAM OF SOUTHERLY FLOW TO OUR INLAND REGION. ALTHOUGH  
FRICTIONAL EFFECTS WILL HELP TO ALLEVIATE SOME OF THE STRENGTH OF  
THESE WINDS, CAMS AND ENSEMBLE SOLUTIONS ALL AGREE WE'RE LOOKING  
AT A NOTEWORTHY WIND EVENT FOR OUR AREA, WITH WIDESPREAD GUSTS OF  
45-60+ MPH POSSIBLE DURING THE OVERNIGHT TUESDAY INTO WEDNESDAY  
MORNING TIMEFRAME. THE MOUNTAINS IN PARTICULAR WILL BE IMPACTED  
BY THESE WINDS, AND COMBINED WITH FALLING OR ALREADY LAID GROUND  
SNOW WILL PRESENT A SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION OF VISIBILITIES. THE  
ECMWF ENSEMBLES ALL SHOW A WIDESPREAD AGREEMENT ON WIND GUSTS OF  
55-60 MPH DURING THAT TIMEFRAME FOR SNOQUALMIE PASS FOR EXAMPLE,  
AND THIS ALONGSIDE SHORT TERM MODEL AGREEMENT HAS LED TO A  
BLIZZARD WARNING BEING ISSUED FOR THE WASHINGTON CASCADES.  
MEANWHILE, THE EAST SLOPES OF THE WASHINGTON CASCADES AND THE  
OREGON CASCADES WILL SEE NOTEWORTHY SNOWFALL ALONGSIDE VERY GUSTY  
WINDS, BUT BLIZZARD LEVEL CONDITIONS OF LIMITED VISIBILITIES  
SHOULD BE MUCH MORE LIMITED FOR THESE LOCATIONS, BUT STILL EXPECT  
SIGNIFICANT HINDRANCES TO TRAVEL FOR THESE AREAS.  
 
ON THE NOTE OF PRECIPITATION, THE INITIAL HEAVIEST WAVE OF RAIN  
AND MOUNTAIN SNOW WILL ARRIVE WITH THAT STRONGER PUSH OF WINDS  
OVERNIGHT TUESDAY INTO WEDNESDAY. BY THE TIME WE REACH THE END OF  
WEDNESDAY, ALMOST EVERY LOCATION ACROSS THE CWA IS EXPECTED TO  
HAVE RECEIVED 0.1+ INCH OF NEW RAINFALL OUTSIDE OF THE COLUMBIA  
BASIN AND PORTIONS OF CENTRAL OREGON, WITH THE NBM GIVING A HIGH  
PROBABILITY TO THIS OCCURRING AT 50-100% CHANCE. OTHERWISE,  
SOUTHWESTERLY FLOW ALOFT WILL BEGIN TO OVERSPREAD WARMER AIR AND  
INCREASE OUR TEMPERATURES, ALLOWING SNOW LEVELS TO RISE AND LIMIT  
FUTURE SNOWFALL TO THE CRESTS AND PEAKS AS WE MOVE INTO THE END OF  
THE WEEK. GOATLEY/87  
 
LONG TERM...THURSDAY THROUGH MONDAY...  
 
KEY MESSAGES:  
 
1. WIDESPREAD RAIN CHANCES THROUGH PERIOD.  
 
2. ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES EXTEND INTO WEEKEND.  
 
3. LOCALIZED FLOODING POSSIBLE.  
 
THE EXTENDED PERIOD IS CHARACTERIZED BY A STRONG, UPPER LEVEL LOW  
PRESSURE SYSTEM THAT STALLS OFF THE WASHINGTON/OREGON COASTS BEFORE  
MOVING ONSHORE AND THROUGH THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST LATE IN THE  
WEEKEND. SOUTHWEST FLOW ALOFT WILL BE DOMINANT UNDER THIS SYNOPTIC  
PATTERN, LEADING TO WIDESPREAD RAIN CHANCES EACH DAY AS A WEAK  
ATMOSPHERIC RIVER SETS UP THROUGH THE WORKWEEK. THE ECMWF EFI  
INDICATES FRIDAY'S RAINFALL AS BEING ABOVE THE CLIMATOLOGICAL NORMAL  
AND THE WETTEST DAY IN THE FORECAST, BUT RAIN AMOUNTS ON THURSDAY  
WILL BE RATHER SIMILAR. RAIN AMOUNTS OF 0.25-0.45" ARE EXPECTED  
ACROSS LOWER ELEVATIONS OF THE BASIN, CENTRAL OREGON, AND THE BLUE  
MOUNTAIN FOOTHILLS WITH 0.35-0.85" OF RAINFALL EXPECTED AT HIGHER  
ELEVATIONS OF THE CASCADE EAST SLOPES, JOHN DAY HIGHLANDS, AND THE  
BLUE MOUNTAINS BOTH THURSDAY AND FRIDAY. CONFIDENCE IN THESE RAIN  
AMOUNTS IS MODERATE TO HIGH (60-80%) AS THE NBM SUGGESTS A 25-55%  
CHANCE OF 0.25" OF RAIN OR MORE OVER LOWER ELEVATIONS OF THE BASIN  
AND A 50-75% CHANCE ALONG THE BLUE MOUNTAIN FOOTHILLS THURSDAY AND  
FRIDAY. THE UPPER LEVEL LOW OPENS AND BROADENS OUT ON SATURDAY AHEAD  
OF MOVING ONSHORE MID-TO LATE SUNDAY. THIS WEAKENED AND LESS  
ORGANIZED SYSTEM WILL STILL BRING WIDESPREAD RAIN SHOWERS ACROSS THE  
AREA. RAIN AMOUNTS OF 0.50-0.75" AT ELEVATION OVER THE CASCADE AND  
BLUE MOUNTAINS, 0.20-0.40" ALONG THE BLUE MOUNTAIN FOOTHILLS, AND  
0.01-0.10" ACROSS LOWER ELEVATIONS OF THE BASIN AND CENTRAL OREGON  
ARE EXPECTED ON SATURDAY. CONDITIONS WILL CONTINUE TO DRY OUT INTO  
SUNDAY, WITH LOWER ELEVATIONS OF THE BASIN STAYING DRY AS RAIN  
AMOUNTS STAY CONFINED TO OUR FOOTHILLS AND MOUNTAIN ZONES. SNOW  
LEVELS WILL HOVER BETWEEN 5000-6000 FEET THURSDAY AND FRIDAY,  
DROPPING TO 3500-4500 FEET SATURDAY AND 2500-3500 FEET SUNDAY. THESE  
VALUES WILL KEEP SNOWFALL OVER OUR MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN OF THE  
CASCADES, BLUE MOUNTAINS, JOHN DAY/OCHOCO HIGHLANDS, AND THE SIMCOE  
HIGHLANDS THROUGH THE PERIOD. 1-5 INCHES OF SNOWFALL IS ANTICIPATED  
TO OCCUR ACROSS THE CASCADE PASSES THURSDAY AND SATURDAY.  
 
SOUTHWEST FLOW ALOFT WILL HELP TO BRING IN A WARMER AND WETTER  
AIRMASS THROUGH THE WEEK. THIS WILL KEEP HIGH TEMPERATURES IN THE  
UPPER 40S TO LOW 50S THROUGH THE PERIOD, WHICH WILL BE 2-5 DEGREES  
ABOVE NORMAL FOR THIS TIME OF YEAR. OVERNIGHT LOWS WILL ALSO BE  
RATHER MILD THROUGH THE WORKWEEK, WITH MORNING TEMPERATURES DROPPING  
INTO THE UPPER 30S TO LOW 40S THURSDAY AND FRIDAY. A COOLING TREND  
DEVELOPS OVER THE WEEKEND AS THE SYSTEM OFFSHORE OPENS, WEAKENS,  
AND BEGINS TO PUSH ONSHORE. MONDAY MORNING TEMPERATURES WILL DROP TO  
NEAR OR BELOW FREEZING OVER THE BASIN, WITH VALUES DROPPING INTO THE  
MID TO UPPER 20S ACROSS CENTRAL OREGON. CONFIDENCE IN EXPERIENCING  
FREEZING MORNING TEMPERATURES ON MONDAY IS MODERATE (50-70%) AS THE  
NBM SUGGESTS A 40-70% ACROSS LOWER ELEVATIONS OF THE BASIN AND A 75-  
95% CHANCE OVER CENTRAL OREGON.  
 
THERE ARE SIGNIFICANT RAIN AMOUNTS IN THE LONG-TERM FORECAST, WHICH  
MAY LEAD TO ISOLATED OR LOCALIZED AREAS OF FLOODING - PRIMARILY IN  
AND AROUND URBAN AND LOW-LYING AREAS. SNOWPACK IS NOT YET  
ESTABLISHED, SO THE PROBABILITY OF RAIN-ON-SNOW EVENTS IS LOW AS  
SNOW LEVELS BEGIN TO DECREASE SATURDAY. HOWEVER, THERE MAY BE TIMES  
WHEN CELLS TRAIN AND PERSISTENT MODERATE TO HEAVY RAINFALL MAY LEAD  
TO PONDING ON ROADWAYS AND LOCALIZED FLOODING NEAR BODIES OF WATER.  
75  
 

 
   
PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS
 
 
PDT 27 47 36 52 / 20 20 90 70  
ALW 30 47 37 52 / 30 30 90 80  
PSC 33 49 41 55 / 30 20 90 50  
YKM 23 43 29 46 / 30 60 100 60  
HRI 31 51 40 55 / 40 20 90 50  
ELN 23 40 29 44 / 30 60 100 70  
RDM 24 43 35 49 / 50 20 90 60  
LGD 21 37 31 42 / 20 40 90 90  
GCD 20 40 32 44 / 50 50 100 90  
DLS 32 46 39 52 / 60 80 100 80  
 

 
   
PDT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
 
 
OR...WIND ADVISORY FROM 4 PM TUESDAY TO 10 AM PST WEDNESDAY FOR  
ORZ044-049-505.  
 
HIGH WIND WARNING FROM 4 PM TUESDAY TO 10 AM PST WEDNESDAY FOR  
ORZ507-508-510-511.  
 
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FROM 4 PM TUESDAY TO 10 AM PST WEDNESDAY  
FOR ORZ509.  
 
WA...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FROM 4 PM TUESDAY TO 10 AM PST WEDNESDAY  
FOR WAZ026.  
 
BLIZZARD WARNING FROM 4 PM TUESDAY TO 10 AM PST WEDNESDAY FOR  
WAZ522.  
 
WINTER STORM WARNING FROM 4 PM TUESDAY TO 10 AM PST WEDNESDAY  
FOR WAZ523.  
 

 
 

 
 
SHORT TERM...87  
LONG TERM....75  
AVIATION...97  
 
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