928  
FXUS66 KPQR 121834 AAA  
AFDPQR  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PORTLAND OR  
1134 AM PDT FRI SEP 12 2025  
 
UPDATED AVIATION DISCUSSION.  
 
 
   
SYNOPSIS  
WIDESPREAD STRATUS ACROSS NORTHWEST OREGON AND  
SOUTHWEST WASHINGTON THIS MORNING SHOULD BREAK OUT TO SUNNY  
SKIES THIS AFTERNOON AS HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS. WARM AND DRY  
CONDITIONS CONTINUE THROUGH TOMORROW AFTERNOON. OUR NEXT FRONTAL  
SYSTEM ARRIVES SATURDAY NIGHT TO SUNDAY, BRINGING WIDESPREAD,  
LIGHT RAIN SHOWERS. CONDITIONS DRY AND WARM UP AGAIN EARLY NEXT  
WEEK WITH THE POTENTIAL FOR LIGHT OFFSHORE WINDS MONDAY AND  
TUESDAY NIGHTS.  
 
 
   
SHORT TERM...NOW THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT  
SATELLITE IMAGERY AND  
SURFACE OBSERVATIONS AS OF EARLY FRIDAY MORNING DEPICTS  
WIDESPREAD STRATUS ACROSS NORTHWEST OREGON AND SOUTHWEST  
WASHINGTON AS THE LOW-LEVEL ATMOSPHERE REMAINS MOIST WITH LIGHT  
AND VARIABLE WINDS. STRATUS DIDN'T COMPLETELY CLEAR OUT  
YESTERDAY, HOWEVER, THERE IS HIGH CONFIDENCE THAT CLOUDS WILL  
CLEAR OUT THIS AFTERNOON SINCE AN UPPER LEVEL SHORTWAVE RIDGE  
WILL BEGIN TO MOVE OVERHEAD. CONDITIONS WILL WARM AND DRY UP AS  
HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS TODAY, SO WE SHOULD SEE A SUNNY AFTERNOON.  
EXPECT SEASONABLE TEMPERATURES WITH AFTERNOON HIGHS IN THE MID  
TO UPPER 70S ACROSS INTERIOR VALLEYS AND MID TO UPPER 60S ALONG  
THE COAST.  
 
TONIGHT, INCREASING HIGH PRESSURE WILL FAVOR A LOWER-LEVEL  
MARINE LAYER ALONG THE COAST AND POTENTIALLY LEAD TO FOG AND  
THUS VISIBILITY REDUCTIONS. MODEL SOUNDINGS SUGGEST THAT LOW  
STRATUS ALSO RE-DEVELOPS ACROSS THE WILLAMETTE VALLEY AND  
SOUTHWEST WASHINGTON LOWLANDS TONIGHT AS THE SURFACE MOISTENS  
UNDER THE NIGHTTIME INVERSION. HIGH PRESSURE WITH SUNNY SKIES  
CONTINUES THROUGH SATURDAY AFTERNOON, WITH TEMPS WARMING  
SLIGHTLY INTO THE LOW 80S ACROSS INTERIOR VALLEYS. BY SATURDAY  
EVENING, THE AFOREMENTIONED SHORTWAVE RIDGE WILL PROGRESS  
EASTWARD WITH INCREASING CLOUD COVER ACROSS THE AREA AS THE NEXT  
FRONTAL SYSTEM APPROACHES.  
 
COOLER TEMPERATURES AND WIDESPREAD RAIN SHOWERS RETURN SATURDAY  
NIGHT INTO SUNDAY ACROSS NORTHWEST OREGON AND SOUTHWEST  
WASHINGTON AS OUR FIRST FALL-LIKE FRONTAL SYSTEM SWINGS THROUGH  
THE REGION. FORECAST RAIN TOTALS IN A 24 HOUR PERIOD FROM 11 PM  
SATURDAY TO 11 PM SUNDAY AMOUNTS ARE AROUND 0.10-0.30" ACROSS  
MOST INTERIOR VALLEYS (EXCEPT 0.05" OR LESS IN THE UPPER HOOD  
RIVER VALLEY), 0.20-0.40" ALONG THE COAST, AND 0.30-0.60" ACROSS  
THE COAST RANGE, WILLAPA HILLS, AND CASCADES (HIGHEST AMOUNTS  
FORECAST ON THE WEST SLOPES OF THESE MOUNTAINS). AFTERNOON HIGHS  
ARE FORECAST TO COOL DOWN TO THE LOW 70S ACROSS INTERIOR  
VALLEYS.  
 
HIGHER RAINFALL AMOUNTS CAN'T BE RULED OUT IF THE FRONT COMES  
IN STRONGER. NBM CHANCES FOR 24 HOUR RAIN TOTALS OF 0.50" OR  
GREATER ENDING 11 PM SUNDAY ARE 40-50% ACROSS THE WILLAMETTE  
VALLEY AND SOUTHWEST WASHINGTON LOWLANDS. FOR 1" OR GREATER  
ALONG THE COAST DURING THIS SAME TIMEFRAME, THOSE CHANCES ARE  
30-50% (HIGHEST CHANCES FROM LINCOLN CITY NORTHWARD). WILL ALSO  
NOTE THAT THERE IS A 10-20% CHANCE FOR POST-FRONTAL  
THUNDERSTORMS SUNDAY AFTERNOON BEHIND THE FRONT. AS THE UPPER  
ATMOSPHERE COOLS WITH THIS SYSTEM, THIS WOULD SUPPORT INCREASING  
INSTABILITY AND THUS THE POTENTIAL FOR THUNDERSTORMS. ANY  
PASSING THUNDERSTORMS MAY RESULT IN LIGHTNING AND BRIEF HEAVY  
RAIN. BY SUNDAY EVENING, THE FRONT FURTHER WEAKENS AND EXITS  
THE AREA, RESULTING IN RAIN SHOWERS GRADUALLY TAPERING OFF  
SUNDAY NIGHT INTO EARLY MONDAY MORNING. -ALVIZ  
 
   
LONG TERM...MONDAY THROUGH THURSDAY  
SHORTWAVE RIDGING  
RETURNS ON MONDAY AS THE PREVIOUS FRONTAL SYSTEM PROGRESSES  
EASTWARD. THIS WILL RETURN DRY CONDITIONS AND CLEARING SKIES BY  
MONDAY AFTERNOON. TUESDAY, THERE IS HIGH AGREEMENT AMONG  
ENSEMBLE MEMBERS IN A RETURN TO ABOVE-AVERAGE 500 MB HEIGHTS AS  
THE RIDGE AXIS CENTERS OVER THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST. THIS WOULD  
MAINTAIN SUNNY SKIES AND LEAD TO TEMPERATURES REBOUNDING INTO  
THE MID 80S ACROSS INTERIOR VALLEYS.  
 
IT'S WORTH HIGHLIGHTING LATE MONDAY NIGHT AND TUESDAY NIGHT, 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 AND  
MAGNITUDE OF THIS FEATURE WHICH WOULD DETERMINE 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.  
 
WEDNESDAY TO THURSDAY ARE LOOKING MOSTLY DRY, HOWEVER, A DECENT  
SUBSET OF ENSEMBLE MEMBERS (~40%) DO SHOW A WEAKENING FRONT  
APPROACHING THE THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST FROM AN UPPER LEVEL SYSTEM  
PROGRESSING OVER THE NORTHEAST PACIFIC INTO BRITISH COLUMBIA.  
THE FRONT LOOKS LIKE IT MOSTLY DIES OFF BEFORE REACHING OUR  
AREA, HOWEVER THERE IS A SLIGHT CHANCE (15-20%) THAT WE COULD  
SEE SOME LINGERING SHOWERS ALONG THE COAST AND SOUTHWEST  
WASHINGTON. -ALVIZ/SCHULDT  
 
 
   
AVIATION  
PREDOMINATELY MVFR CEILINGS PERSIST ACROSS NW OREGON  
AND SW WASHINGTON DUE TO A STRONG MARINE LAYER. HIGH PRESSURE OVER  
THE AREA IS HELPING THIN OUT THE MARINE LAYER TODAY WITH SATELLITE  
IMAGERY SHOWING CLOUD COVER IS STARTING TO DISSIPATE. EXPECTING  
CLOUDS TO SCATTER OUT AMOUNT 20-21Z INLAND AND AROUND 23Z FOR THE  
COAST THOUGH, CLOUDS AROUND KAST MAY STICK AROUND FOR A BIT  
LONGER. ANOTHER REPEAT IS EXPECTED TONIGHT WITH STRATUS MOVING IN  
ALONG THE COAST BETWEEN 04-06Z SAT AND BETWEEN 10-12Z SAT INLAND.  
PROBABILITIES FOR SUB-VFR CIGS ALONG THE COAST ARE >80% WHILE  
INLAND THEY ARE BETWEEN 40-60%. WINDS REMAIN NORTHERLY THROUGH THE  
DAY AT 10 KTS OR LESS.  
 
KPDX AND APPROACHES...MVFR CIGS HOLD ON UNTIL 20-21Z THEN SCATTER  
OUT THIS AFTERNOON. WINDS FROM THE NORTH AROUND 5 KT. ANOTHER  
ROUND OF STRATUS IS EXPECTED TO MOVE IN BETWEEN 10-12Z SAT,  
BRINGING MVFR CIGS. -BATZ  
 
 
   
MARINE  
HIGH PRESSURE OVER THE WATERS TODAY WITH WINDS MAINLY  
FROM THE NORTH, THOUGH BECOMING VARIABLE FOR A BRIEF PERIOD  
LATE THIS MORNING. WINDS REMAIN LESS THAN 10 KTS WITH GUSTS  
BELOW 15 KTS, WITH SEAS 5-6 FT AT 12-14 SECONDS.  
 
A SURFACE FRONT MOVES THROUGH THE WATERS LATE SATURDAY INTO EARLY  
SUNDAY. WINDS SHIFT SOUTHERLY AHEAD OF THE FRONTAL PASSAGE  
SATURDAY, THEN INCREASE AS THE FRONT PASSES TO 15-20 KTS WITH  
GUSTS UP TO 20 KTS, LOCALLY UP TO 21-22 KTS IN THE FAR OUTER  
WATERS. 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, WITH HIGHEST PROBABILITIES FOR THE FAR  
OUTER WATERS AROUND 40-60 NM FROM THE COAST. THIS INDICATES THAT  
SMALL CRAFT GUSTS ARE POSSIBLE BUT LIKELY WON'T BE WIDESPREAD OR  
LONG DURATION. THIS COMBINED WITH THE SMALLER AREA OF POTENTIAL  
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY WINDS LEADS TO LOW CHANCES OF A SMALL CRAFT  
ADVISORY BEING ISSUED, THOUGH WILL STILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE  
FORECAST AS IT CHANGES. SEAS REMAIN AROUND 5-8 FEET AT 10-12  
SECONDS THROUGH SUNDAY. THE FORECAST FOR THE NORTHWEST SWELL HAS  
DECREASED, LEADING TO LESS THAN 25% CHANCE OF SEAS REACHING 9 FEET  
AND LESS THAN 10% CHANCE OF SEAS REACHING 10 FEET SUNDAY. -HEC  
 
 
   
PQR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES  
 
OR...NONE.  
WA...NONE.  
PZ...NONE.  
 
 
 
 
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