322
FXUS66 KPQR 141133 AAA
AFDPQR
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PORTLAND OR
330 AM PST WED JAN 14 2026
SYNOPSIS
STRONG HIGH PRESSURE REMAINS FIRMLY ESTABLISHED OVER THE
PACIFIC NORTHWEST THROUGH AT LEAST EARLY NEXT WEEK. THIS WILL
MAINTAIN AN EXTENDED STRETCH OF DRY WEATHER THROUGH AT LEAST JAN.
20-21. FOR ELEVATIONS BELOW 1000 FT, A PERSISTENT LOW-LEVEL
INVERSIONS WILL SUPPORT WIDESPREAD DENSE FOG, LOW STRATUS AND COOL
TEMPERATURES TODAY THROUGH TOMORROW MORNING WITH ANY IMPROVEMENT
EXPECTED TO BE BRIEF THIS AFTERNOON. ELEVATIONS ABOVE 1000 FT WILL
REMAIN MUCH WARMER WITH CLEAR SKIES. THE STAGNANT PATTERN WILL
ALSO PROMOTE AREAS OF DEGRADED AIR QUALITY THROUGH THURSDAY. THE
PATTERN BECOMES LESS STAGNANT THURSDAY NIGHT INTO FRIDAY AS OFFSHORE
FLOW STRENGTHENS, BRINGING BREEZY EAST WINDS TO THE CASCADES, WESTERN
COLUMBIA RIVER GORGE AND EASTERN PORTLAND METRO. THIS SHOULD ALSO
BRING AN END TO FOG AND LOW STRATUS IN THE LOWLANDS, EXCEPT FOR THE
SOUTHERN WILLAMETTE VALLEY WHICH COULD SEE FOG LINGER OVERNIGHT.
DISCUSSION...NOW THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT
ANOMALOUSLY STRONG HIGH
PRESSURE WILL REMAIN LOCKED IN PLACE OVER THE REGION NOW THROUGH AT
LEAST JAN. 20-21, BRINGING DRY WEATHER EACH DAY WITH A PERSISTENT
LOW-LEVEL TEMPERATURE INVERSION IN PLACE. THIS TEMPERATURE INVERSION
WILL RESULT IN VASTLY DIFFERING WEATHER CONDITIONS FOR ELEVATIONS
BELOW 1000 FEET COMPARED TO ELEVATIONS ABOVE 1000 FEET. EXPECT CLEAR
SKIES AND WARMER TEMPERATURES ABOVE 1000 FEET AND COOLER, CLOUDIER
AND FOGGIER CONDITIONS BELOW 1000 FEET. FOR THE LOWLANDS BELOW 1000
FEET, CALM WINDS AND RESIDUAL LOW-LEVEL MOISTURE WILL RESULT IN
WIDESPREAD DENSE FOG AND LOW CLOUDS THIS MORNING AND AGAIN WEDNESDAY
NIGHT INTO THURSDAY MORNING. WHILE FOG IS LIKELY TO LIFT BY THE EARLY
TO MID AFTERNOON, THERE IS A 40-50% CHANCE LOW CLOUDS WILL LINGER
THROUGH THE DAY AND EVENING BEFORE LOWERING BACK TO THE SURFACE AS
FOG WEDNESDAY EVENING/NIGHT. THE OTHER POTENTIAL OUTCOME IS FOR BOTH
FOG AND LOW CLOUDS TO SCATTER OUT BY THE MID TO LATE AFTERNOON,
BEFORE QUICKLY REDEVELOPING IN THE EVENING. REGARDLESS OF THE
OUTCOME, GLOOMY CONDITIONS WILL BE PREDOMINANT MOST OF THE TIME,
WHICH WILL KEEP TEMPERATURES CHILLY IN THE LOWLANDS (UPPER 20S TO MID
30S IN THE MORNING, 40-50 DEGREES DURING THE AFTERNOON). NOTE
FREEZING FOG IS OCCURRING THIS MORNING ACROSS PORTIONS OF THE
SOUTHERN AND CENTRAL WILLAMETTE VALLEY WHERE SURFACE TEMPERATURES ARE
BELOW FREEZING, WHICH MEANS A THIN LAYER OF RIME ICE IS POSSIBLE ON
EXPOSED SURFACE WHERE FREEZING FOG IS MOST DENSE. WITH WIDESPREAD
SURFACE VISIBILITIES AT OR BELOW 1/4 TO 1/2 MILE THIS MORNING AND
LIKELY AGAIN WEDNESDAY NIGHT/THURSDAY MORNING, BE PREPARED TO DRIVE
SLOWLY IF YOU MUST COMMUTE AS FOG WILL POSE A TRAVEL HAZARD.
PEDESTRIANS AND BIKERS SHOULD WEAR REFLECTIVE CLOTHING. NOTE WITH THE
CONTINUED STAGNANT AIRMASS IN PLACE, AIR QUALITY MAY BECOME DEGRADED
AT TIMES OVER THE LOWLANDS THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT.
AS MENTIONED EARLIER, ELEVATIONS ABOVE 1000 FEET WILL BE WARMER AS
THESE ELEVATIONS WILL BE POKING ABOVE A LOW-LEVEL TEMPERATURE
INVERSION AND WILL SEE PLENTY OF SUNSHINE. IN FACT, HIGH
TEMPERATURES IN THE MID 50S TO MID 60S ARE IN THE FORECAST FOR THE
CASCADE FOOTHILLS, COAST RANGE LOWLANDS AND CENTRAL OREGON COAST,
WARMEST IN THE LANE COUNTY CASCADE FOOTHILLS.
BY THURSDAY NIGHT/FRIDAY MORNING, MODELS AND THEIR ENSEMBLES CONTINUE
TO SUGGEST LOW-LEVEL OFFSHORE FLOW WILL STRENGTHEN, BRINGING BREEZY
EAST WINDS TO THE CASCADES, WESTERN COLUMBIA RIVER GORGE AND EASTERN
PORTLAND METRO. LIGHT EAST WINDS ARE FORECAST TO REACH THE COAST AS
WELL AS A SURFACE THERMAL TROUGH ALONG THE SOUTHERN/CENTRAL OR COAST
BEGINS TO SHIFT SLIGHTLY OFFSHORE. THIS WILL BRING AN END TO FOG AND
AIR STAGNATION FOR THESE LOCATIONS. MEANWHILE, THE CENTRAL AND
SOUTHERN WILLAMETTE VALLEY MAY SEE AT LEAST SOME PATCHY FOG OCCUR
AGAIN THURSDAY NIGHT/FRIDAY MORNING AS THIS WIND-SHELTERED AREA WILL
HAVE MINIMAL INFLUENCE FROM THE INCREASING OFFSHORE FLOW. OFFSHORE
FLOW WILL MOST LIKELY REMAIN IN PLACE FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH THE
UPCOMING WEEKEND, ALBEIT IN A WEAKER STATE. THIS SHOULD MAINTAIN
MOSTLY CLEAR CONDITIONS OVER THE AREA, ASIDE FROM THE CENTRAL AND
SOUTHERN WILLAMETTE VALLEY WHERE LOW STRATUS AND FOG CONCERNS WILL
LIKELY PERSIST. NOTE OVERNIGHT TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED TO REMAIN
CHILLY EACH NIGHT THROUGH AT LEAST MONDAY NIGHT, PARTICULARLY IN THE
WILLAMETTE VALLEY AND UPPER HOOD RIVER VALLEY WHERE BELOW FREEZING
LOW TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED. THAT SAID, APPARENT TEMPERATURES ARE
NOT FORECAST TO BE COLD ENOUGH TO WARRANT ANY COLD WEATHER ADVISORIES
AT THIS TIME. -23
AVIATION
HIGH PRESSURE WILL PERSIST OVER THE REGION OVER THE
NEXT SEVERAL DAYS, WITH WIDESPREAD DENSE FOG AND LOW STRATUS
ACROSS THE LOWLANDS THROUGH AT LEAST 20Z WEDNESDAY. SURFACE
TEMPERATURES ARE BELOW FREEZING AT KSLE, KEUG, AND KUAO THIS
MORNING, WHICH MEANS FOG DROPLETS WILL HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO
FREEZE ONTO EXPOSED SURFACES AS A THIN LAYER OF RIME ICE.
WHILE SURFACE VISIBILITIES WILL MOST LIKELY LIFT FROM LIFR TO
MVFR/VFR BY 22-23Z AT THE LATEST, THERE IS 50% CHANCE LOW STRATUS
WILL PERSIST BEYOND THAT TIME, CONTINUING INTO WEDNESDAY EVENING.
THERE IS CURRENTLY A 40-50% CHANCE THIS OUTCOME OCCURS AT ALL
INLAND TERMINALS, WITH THE HIGHEST CHANCE AT KSLE AND KEUG. THE
OTHER POTENTIAL OUTCOME WOULD BE FOG AND LOW CLOUDS BOTH CLEAR
OUT BY THE MID TO LATE AFTERNOON, BEFORE QUICKLY REDEVELOPING
EARLY IN THE EVENING. REGARDLESS OF ANY CLEARING THAT DOES OR DOES
NOT OCCUR WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON, EXPECT ANOTHER ROUND OF WIDESPREAD
DENSE FOG AND LOW STRATUS ACROSS THE INTERIOR LOWLANDS FROM
06Z-12Z THURSDAY (60-80% CHANCE).
KPDX AND APPROACHES...FOG WILL CONTINUE TO REDUCE SURFACE
VISIBILITIES DOWN TO 1/4 SM OR LESS THROUGH 18-20Z WEDNESDAY.
VISIBILITIES SHOULD IMPROVE TO EITHER MVFR OR VFR BY 22Z
WEDNESDAY, WITH LOW CLOUDS ATTEMPTING TO SCATTER OUT. HOWEVER,
THERE IS A 40% CHANCE LOW CLOUDS DO NOT SCATTER OUT AT ALL TODAY,
WITH CIGS STAYING BELOW 2000 FT. EVEN IF LOW CLOUDS DO SCATTER
OUT THIS AFTERNOON, EXPECT FOG AND LOW STRATUS TO QUICKLY
REDEVELOP BY 06-09Z THURSDAY. -23
MARINE
HIGH PRESSURE WILL REMAIN IN PLACE THROUGH THE WEEK
WITH SEAS HOVERING CLOSE TO 10 FT TODAY AND TONIGHT. A SURFACE
THERMAL TROUGH DEVELOPS ALONG THE SOUTHERN AND CENTRAL OREGON
COAST ON WEDNESDAY BEFORE PUSHING SLIGHTLY OFFSHORE ON THURSDAY.
THIS WILL BRING INCREASING NORTHERLY WINDS LATE WEDNESDAY, WITH
GUSTY OFFSHORE GAP WINDS ON THURSDAY FOR THE INNER WATERS AND THE
COLUMBIA RIVER BAR. SMALL CRAFT ADVISORIES ARE IN EFFECT FOR ALL
MARINE ZONES TODAY AS NORTHERLY WINDS BEGIN TO INCREASE. THE
NORTHERN WATERS DROP OFF WEDNESDAY NIGHT AS SEAS AND WINDS AT
LEAST TEMPORARILY FALL BELOW SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY CRITERIA TO THE
NORTH OF CAPE FALCON. MEANWHILE, BREEZY NORTH WINDS UP TO 25-30 KT
WILL BE IN PLACE OVER THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN WATERS, WHERE A
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT THROUGH THURSDAY EVENING.
VERY CALM CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED FRIDAY THROUGH MONDAY AS STRONG
HIGH PRESSURE STAYS LOCKED IN PLACE OVER THE REGION. WINDS SHOULD
STAY UNDER 10-15 KT THIS WEEKEND INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK WITH SEAS
AROUND 4 TO 6 FT. -23
PQR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
OR...DENSE FOG ADVISORY UNTIL NOON PST TODAY FOR ORZ101-102-104-105-
108>112-114>117.
AIR STAGNATION ADVISORY UNTIL 4 AM PST FRIDAY FOR ORZ109>111-
114>118.
FREEZING FOG ADVISORY UNTIL NOON PST TODAY FOR ORZ118.
WA...DENSE FOG ADVISORY UNTIL NOON PST TODAY FOR WAZ201-202-204>207.
AIR STAGNATION ADVISORY UNTIL 4 AM PST FRIDAY FOR WAZ205-206.
PZ...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FROM 11 AM THIS MORNING TO 5 PM PST THIS
AFTERNOON FOR PZZ210.
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FROM 7 AM THIS MORNING TO 1 AM PST
THURSDAY FOR PZZ251-271.
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FROM 7 AM THIS MORNING TO 10 PM PST
THURSDAY FOR PZZ252-253-272-273.
WWW.WEATHER.GOV/PORTLAND
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