453  
FXUS66 KPQR 120401 AAA  
AFDPQR  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PORTLAND OR  
900 PM PDT THU SEP 11 2025  
 
UPDATED AVIATION DISCUSSION  
   
SYNOPSIS
 
EXPECT A GRADUAL TRANSITION TO WARMER CONDITIONS AND  
SUNNIER SKIES THROUGH THE FIRST HALF OF THE WEEKEND. THEN, OUR  
NEXT FRONTAL SYSTEM ARRIVES LATER SATURDAY NIGHT TO SUNDAY  
USHERING IN A PERIOD OF WIDESPREAD LIGHT RAIN. CONDITIONS DRY  
AND WARM UP AGAIN EARLY NEXT WEEK WITH THE POTENTIAL FOR  
OFFSHORE WINDS ON TUESDAY.  
 

 
   
SHORT TERM...NOW THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT
 
THIS AFTERNOON  
SATELLITE IMAGERY SHOWS WIDESPREAD STRATUS JUST BEGINNING  
TO BREAK UP ACROSS THE WILLAMETTE VALLEY AS WESTERLY FLOW AND  
DEEP MARINE INFLUENCE DOMINATE THE PATTERN NEAR THE SURFACE.  
ALOFT, THE UPPER-LEVEL LOW WHICH HAS FACILITATED SEVERAL ROUNDS  
OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE REGION THE THE LAST  
SEVERAL DAYS HAS FINALLY PROGRESSED INTO NORTHERN NEVADA KEEPING  
THE COVERAGE OF ANY ACTIVITY FAIRLY LIMITED TO THE OREGON  
CASACDES INTO THE EVENING HOURS BEFORE DRY WEATHER RETURNS.  
WHILE THE STORM MOTION WILL HAVE A SLIGHT EASTERLY COMPONENT  
(NNE TO SSW), THE AFOREMENTIONED MARINE LAYER JUST WEST OF THE  
CRESTS WILL ENSURE STORMS WEAKEN AND DECAY IF/WHEN THEY SHIFT  
OFF THE CRESTS.  
 
STARTING TOMORROW (FRIDAY) A TRANSIENT SHORTWAVE RIDGE WHICH AS  
BEEN HOLDING OVER THE EASTERN PACIFIC BEGINS TO SHIFT OVERHEAD  
LEADING TO A THINNER DECK OF MORNING LOW CLOUDS INLAND AND  
GENERALLY SUNNIER SKIES BY THE AFTERNOON HOURS. DUE TO THE MORE  
EXPEDIENT CLEARING, HIGHS LIKELY JUMP INTO THE MID 70S AROUND  
THE PORTLAND/VANCOUVER METRO AND MID TO UPPER 70S CENTRAL AND  
SOUTH WILLAMETTE VALLEY. THE AXIS OF THE HIGH PRESSURE RIDGE  
PASSES OVERHEAD ON SATURDAY WHICH WILL ALMOST CERTAINLY END UP A  
THE WARMEST DAY OF THE NEXT ~4-5 DAYS OR SO - TEMPERATURES PEAK  
IN THE UPPER 70S TO LOW 80S WILLAMETTE VALLEY AND CASCADE  
VALLEYS. HOWEVER, SATURDAY EVENING CLOUDS BEGIN TO INCREASE FROM  
THE WEST THANKS TO AN APPROACHING FRONTAL BOUNDARY SLATED TO  
BRING AT LEAST LIGHT WIDESPREAD RAINFALL TO THE REGION FOR THE  
LATTER HALF OF THE WEEKEND. -SCHULDT  
 
   
LONG TERM...SUNDAY THROUGH THURSDAY
 
WIDESPREAD RAIN RETURNS  
ACROSS NORTHWEST OREGON AND SOUTHWEST WASHINGTON AS OUR FIRST  
FALL-LIKE FRONTAL SYSTEM SWINGS THROUGH THE REGION. ENSEMBLE  
GUIDANCE SYSTEMS(ENS/GEFS/GEPS) ARE IN GENERAL AGREEMENT (80%  
CHANCE) THAT THE FRONT WILL MOVE THROUGH LATE SATURDAY NIGHT  
INTO SUNDAY MORNING, WHICH IS WHEN THE BULK OF THE RAIN IS  
EXPECTED. THE LATEST 12 NAM STILL APPEARS TO BE AN OUTLIER  
PUSHING THE BULK OF THE ENERGY WITH THIS FRONT FURTHER SOUTH  
INTO SOUTHERN OREGON AND NORTHERN CALIFORNIA. IF THIS SCENARIO  
WERE TO OCCUR, THEN WE WOULD END UP MUCH DRIER THAN FORECASTED.  
 
WHILE THE ENSEMBLE MODELS ARE IN GENERAL AGREEMENT WITH THE  
TIMING OF THE FRONT, THERE IS STILL UNCERTAINTY WITH THE  
MAGNITUDE OF THE FRONT, AND THUS TOTAL RAINFALL AMOUNTS. THE NBM  
75TH PERCENTILE FOR 24 HOUR RAINFALL ENDING 5 PM SUNDAY IS  
AROUND 1.2-1.5" ALONG THE COAST AND 0.50-0.80" ACROSS INTERIOR  
VALLEYS, WHILE THE NBM 25TH PERCENTILE IS AROUND 0.30-0.50"  
ALONG THE COAST AND 0.05-0.20" ACROSS INTERIOR VALLEYS.  
CURRENTLY, THE GEFS ENSEMBLE IS WANTING TO BRING IN THE HIGHER-  
END RAINFALL AMOUNTS WHILE THE ENS/GEPS ENSEMBLES ARE SUGGESTING  
LOWER AMOUNTS. WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR HOW THIS EVOLVES IN THE  
NEXT DAY OR SO. FOR NOW, WE CAN GENERALLY SAY THAT SUNDAY IS  
LOOKING TO BE WETTER AND COOLER. BY LATE SUNDAY AFTERNOON, THE  
FRONT WILL WEAKEN AND RAIN WILL GRADUALLY TAPER OFF SUNDAY NIGHT  
INTO EARLY MONDAY MORNING.  
 
THE SECOND HALF OF MONDAY LOOKS DRIER AS SHORTWAVE RIDGING  
RETURNS IN EARNEST AND THE AFOREMENTIONED SYSTEM PROGRESSES  
EASTWARD. BY TUESDAY, THERE IS HIGH AGREEMENT AMONG ENSEMBLE  
MEMBERS THAT ABOVE- AVERAGE 500 MB HEIGHTS RETURN, REBOUNDING  
TEMPERATURES INTO THE LOW 80S ACROSS INTERIOR VALLEYS WITH SUNNY  
SKIES. WEDNESDAY LOOKS SIMILAR TO TUESDAY, HOWEVER, A DECENT  
SUBSET OF ENSEMBLE MEMBERS (~40%) DO ALSO SHOW A WEAK FRONT  
APPROACHING THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST.  
 
IT'S WORTH HIGHLIGHTING LATE MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY INTO  
WEDNESDAY A THERMAL TROUGH DEVELOPS ACROSS WESTERN OREGON WITH  
HIGH PRESSURE EAST OF THE CASCADES, LEADING TO AN OFFSHORE FLOW  
PATTERN. THERE REMAINS SOME UNCERTAINTY IN THE EXACT PLACEMENT  
OF THIS FEATURE WHICH WILL HELP TO MODULATE THE STRENGTH OF  
OFFSHORE WINDS BUT FOR NOW THEY DON'T APPEAR PARTICULARLY  
STRONG. THIS WILL BE A PERIOD TO MONITOR IN THE COMING DAYS.  
-SCHULDT/ALVIZ  
 

 
   
AVIATION
 
MOST LOCATIONS THAT HAD CLEARING THIS EVENING WILL  
FILL IN WITH MVFR CEILINGS OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF HOURS.  
INCREASED SUBSIDENCE FROM BUILDING HIGH PRESSURE MAY LOWER CEILINGS  
BELOW 1000 FEET ALONG THE COAST LATE TONIGHT INTO FRIDAY MORNING.  
THERE IS A 70% CHANCE FOR CEILINGS BELOW 1000 FEET ALONG THE COAST,  
AND A 50% CHANCE FOR CEILINGS BELOW 500 FEET.EXPECT CLEARING IN MOST  
LOCATIONS FRIDAY AFTERNOON.THE WINDS REMAIN LIGHT AND VARIABLE  
OVERNIGHT INTO FRIDAY MORNING, BECOMING NORTHWEST LESS THAN 10 KTS  
IN THE AFTERNOON.  
 
KPDX AND APPROACHES...MVFR CEILINGS WILL DOMINATE THROUGH FRIDAY  
MORNING. LIGHT NORTHWEST WINDS TONIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY. CLEARING AND  
VFR CONDITIONS EXPECTED BY 19Z FRIDAY. ~TJ  
 

 
   
MARINE
 
HIGH PRESSURE REMAINS IN PLACE OVER THE WATERS THROUGH  
FRIDAY MORNING. WINDS OUT OF THE NORTHWEST AT 10 KTS OR LESS AND  
WIND GUSTS BELOW 15 KT. WINDS BECOME MORE VARIABLE DURING THE  
LATTER HALF OF FRIDAY AS A COLD FRONT BEGINS TO MOVE CLOSER TO THE  
REGION. SEAS 5-6 FT AT 12-14 SECONDS THROUGH FRIDAY.  
 
AN APPROACHING LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL BRING THE AFOREMENTIONED  
COLD FRONT TOWARD THE PACNW COAST, SHIFTING WINDS FROM  
NORTHWESTERLY TO SOUTHERLY ON SATURDAY. PROBABILITIES FOR WIND  
GUSTS OF 21 KT OR GREATER (SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY CRITERIA) ARE  
50-70% WHEN LOOKING AT 24 HOUR PERIODS FOR SATURDAY AND SUNDAY.  
HOWEVER, WHEN LOOKING CLOSER AT THE HOURLY PROBABILITIES, CHANCES  
DROP SIGNIFICANTLY TO 10-30% AT THE HIGHEST ON EITHER DAY. THIS  
INDICATES THAT SMALL CRAFT GUSTS ARE DEFINITELY POSSIBLE BUT  
LIKELY WON'T BE WIDESPREAD OR LONG DURATION. STILL SOMETHING TO  
WATCH IN CASE THE TRACK OF THE LOW CHANGES AND CONFIDENCE  
INCREASES WHICH WOULD WARRANT A SHORT SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY. SEAS  
ARE FORECAST AROUND 6-7 FEET AT 10-12 SEC THROUGH SATURDAY. A  
NORTHWEST SWELL IS EXPECTED TO MOVE INTO THE WATERS ON SUNDAY  
BRINGING WAVES OF 8-10 FEET AT 10-12 SECONDS WHICH WOULD SUPPORT  
STEEP, HAZARDOUS SEAS FOR SOME TIME. -BATZ  
 

 
   
PQR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
 
 
OR...NONE.  
WA...NONE.  
PZ...NONE.  

 
 

 
 
WWW.WEATHER.GOV/PORTLAND  
 
INTERACT WITH US VIA SOCIAL MEDIA:  
WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/NWSPORTLAND  
X.COM/NWSPORTLAND  
 
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