342  
FXUS66 KPQR 302100  
AFDPQR  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PORTLAND OR  
200 PM PDT SUN AUG 30 2026  
 
UPDATED MARINE AND AVIATION DISCUSSIONS.  
 

 
   
SYNOPSIS
 
HIGH PRESSURE WILL RESULT IN DRY AND WARM  
CONDITIONS ACROSS THE AREA TODAY AND MONDAY. A SIGNIFICANT  
PATTERN CHANGE BEGINS ON TUESDAY WITH A RETURN OF COOLER  
TEMPERATURES, RAIN, AND BREEZY SOUTHERLY WINDS THROUGH THE END  
OF THE WEEK. WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY ARE EXPECTED TO BE THE  
WETTEST DAYS WITH ALSO A 10-20% CHANCE FOR THUNDERSTORMS.  
CONDITIONS TREND SLIGHTLY DRIER OVER THE WEEKEND, BUT THERE  
REMAINS CHANCES FOR LINGERING SHOWERS.  
 

 
   
SHORT TERM...TODAY THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT
 
SATELLITE IMAGERY  
AND SURFACE OBSERVATIONS AS OF LATE SUNDAY MORNING DEPICTS  
MOSTLY SUNNY SKIES ACROSS THE AREA WITH SOME SCATTERED CLOUDS  
ACROSS SOUTHWEST WASHINGTON AND FAR NORTHWEST OREGON. WILL  
MAINTAIN DRY AND WARM CONDITIONS TODAY AND MONDAY AS SHORTWAVE  
RIDGING SETS UP OVER THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST. EXPECT AFTERNOON  
HIGHS IN THE MID TO UPPER 70S TODAY ACROSS INTERIOR VALLEYS, AND  
60S ALONG THE COAST. TOMORROW WILL BE THE WARMEST DAY OF THE  
WEEK AS THE RIDGE REACHES ITS PEAK AMPLITUDE, WITH HIGHS WARMING  
UP INTO THE MID 80S ACROSS INTERIOR VALLEYS. THIS DRY AND WARM  
WEATHER WILL BE SHORT-LIVED AS WE HEAD INTO A SIGNIFICANT  
PATTERN CHANGE BEGINNING TUESDAY.  
 
MONDAY NIGHT INTO TUESDAY, THE AFOREMENTIONED RIDGE WILL WEAKEN  
AND GET PUSHED EASTWARD AS THE FIRST OF TWO UPPER-LEVEL TROUGHS  
DROPS DOWN FROM THE GULF OF ALASKA. THIS TROUGH WILL TRACK  
TOWARDS SOUTHERN OREGON AND NORTHERN CALIFORNIA, BRINGING  
INCREASED CLOUD COVER AND A 25-50% CHANCE FOR LIGHT SHOWERS.  
THIS WILL SUPPORT COOLER TEMPERATURES ACROSS INTERIOR VALLEYS,  
WITH TUESDAY AFTERNOON HIGHS FALLING INTO THE LOW TO MID 70S.  
WINDS WILL ALSO BEGIN TO TURN OUT OF THE WEST/SOUTHWEST,  
GENERALLY REMAINING LIGHT WITH GUSTS BELOW 20 MPH. AN EXCEPTION  
WOULD BE THE COLUMBIA RIVER GORGE AND HOOD RIVER VALLEY, WHERE  
WESTERLY GAP WINDS TUESDAY AFTERNOON COULD GUST TO 25-35 MPH  
WITH A 30-50% CHANCE FOR MAXIMUM GUSTS EXCEEDING 40 MPH. -10  
 
   
LONG TERM...WEDNESDAY THROUGH SATURDAY
 
WEDNESDAY INTO  
THURSDAY WILL BE THE MORE SIGNIFICANT SOAKER DAYS AS THE  
MAJORITY OF ENSEMBLE MEMBERS ARE SHOWING A SECOND, MUCH DEEPER  
UPPER-LEVEL TROUGH DROPPING DOWN INTO THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST. THE  
ASSOCIATED SURFACE FRONT SWINGS THROUGH ON WEDNESDAY, BRINGING  
WIDESPREAD RAIN, COOLER TEMPERATURES, AND BREEZY WINDS FROM THE  
SOUTH. IN ADDITION, THERE WILL BE A 10-20% CHANCE FOR  
THUNDERSTORMS. CHANCES FOR EXCEEDING 1 INCH OF RAIN IN 48 HOURS  
BETWEEN 5 AM WEDNESDAY TO 5 AM FRIDAY ARE HIGH (70-90%) ACROSS  
NORTHWEST OREGON AND SOUTHWEST WASHINGTON, WITH THE HIGHEST  
CHANCES ALONG THE COAST, COAST RANGE, AND CASCADES. CHANCES FOR  
EXCEEDING 2 INCHES DURING THIS SAME TIMEFRAME ARE AROUND 30-50%  
FOR THESE HIGHER TERRAIN FEATURES, AND 5-15% ALONG THE I-5  
CORRIDOR. OROGRAPHIC ENHANCEMENT WILL PLAY A BIG ROLE WITH  
PROVIDING HIGHER RAINFALL AMOUNTS TO THE MOUNTAINS.  
 
THURSDAY AFTERNOON TO SATURDAY, THE UPPER-LEVEL TROUGH REMAINS  
OVER THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST AND WE TRANSITION INTO A POST-FRONTAL  
ENVIRONMENT WITH LINGERING SHOWERS. GIVEN THAT THERE WILL BE  
COOLER AIR ALOFT, THIS WILL FAVOR INCREASING ATMOSPHERIC  
INSTABILITY AND THUS CHANCES FOR THUNDERSTORMS. THERE WILL BE  
ANOTHER 10-20% CHANCE FOR THUNDERSTORMS ON THURSDAY FOLLOWING  
THE INITIAL FRONTAL PASSAGE. ANY PASSING THUNDERSTORMS MAY  
PRODUCE LIGHTNING, HEAVY RAIN, ERRATIC WINDS, AND SMALL HAIL.  
OVERALL, WHILE THE UPCOMING RAIN WILL NOT QUITE YET BE A "FIRE  
SEASON ENDER," IT WILL DEFINITELY SLOW DOWN FIRE SEASON AND HELP  
PUT A DAMPER ON ONGOING WILDFIRES. -10  
 

 
   
AVIATION...THROUGH 00Z TUESDAY
 
VFR CONDITIONS FAVORED ACROSS  
THE AIRSPACE THROUGHOUT THE PERIOD. SCT-BKN LOW CLOUDS LINGER  
ACROSS FAR NORTHWESTERN OR AND SOUTHWESTERN WA PER SATELLITE  
IMAGERY AS OF 21Z SUN, WITH LARGELY CLEAR SKIES ELSEWHERE. NORTH  
TO NORTHWEST WINDS OF 5-10 KT INLAND AND 10-15 KT WITH GUSTS AS  
HIGH AS 20-25 KT ALONG THE COAST AND IN THE SOUTHERN WILLAMETTE  
VALLEY THIS AFTERNOON WILL EASE TO 5 KT OR LESS AFTER 03-06Z  
MON. LIGHT OFFSHORE (NORTH TO NORTHEAST) FLOW OVERNIGHT WILL  
LIMIT CHANCES FOR MVFR CIGS BENEATH LOW CLOUDS TO 20-30% ALONG  
THE COAST AND IN THE WILLAMETTE VALLEY.  
 
KPDX AND APPROACHES...VFR CONDITIONS EXPECTED THROUGHOUT THE  
PERIOD. COVERAGE OF LINGERING LOW CLOUDS WILL NOT RESTRICT CIGS  
THIS AFTERNOON. NORTHWEST WINDS OF 5-10 KT WILL EASE BELOW 5 KT  
TONIGHT, WITH LOW CHANCES, ONLY 10% AFTER 09Z MON, FOR MVFR CIGS  
IF LOW CLOUD COVERAGE IS HIGHER THAN EXPECTED OVERNIGHT. -36  
 

 
   
MARINE
 
TRANSIENT RIDGING OVER THE NORTHEAST PACIFIC WILL SEE  
NORTHERLY TO NORTHWESTERLY WINDS CONTINUE INTO TUESDAY MORNING.  
THERMAL TROUGHING ALONG THE COAST WILL YIELD STRENGTHENING NEAR-  
SHORE WINDS MONDAY AFTERNOON, REACHING 15-20 KT WITH GUSTS TO  
25 KT WITHIN 10-20 NM NORTH OF CAPE FALCON AND INCLUDING THE  
COLUMBIA RIVER BAR, WHERE A SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY HAS BEEN  
HOISTED FROM 2 PM TO 8 PM PDT MONDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING.  
LARGELY WIND-DRIVEN SEAS WILL PERSIST AT 4-6 FT DURING THIS  
PERIOD.  
 
ON TUESDAY, WINDS BACK OUT OF THE SOUTH-SOUTHWEST AS A BROAD  
PATTERN SHIFT SEES TROUGHING DEVELOP OVER THE NORTHEAST PACIFIC  
WHILE RIDGING MOVES INLAND. BY WEDNESDAY, A ROBUST FRONTAL  
SYSTEM WILL TRAVERSE THE COASTAL WATERS OF OR/WA. SOUTHERLY  
WINDS AHEAD OF THE FRONTAL PASSAGE ARE LIKELY (50-75% CHANCE) TO  
YIELD AT LEAST INTERMITTENT GALE-FORCE GUSTS. SUSTAINED WINDS  
ARE LESS LIKELY (30-60% CHANCE) TO REACH GALE- FORCE, WITH  
HIGHER CHANCES GENERALLY TO THE NORTH AND CLOSER TO SHORE. GALE  
WATCHES MAY BE NEEDED IF CONFIDENCE PERSISTS IN THE DURATION OF  
POTENTIAL GUSTY WINDS ACROSS ENOUGH OF THE COASTAL WATERS. THESE  
STRONG WINDS WILL ALSO SEE SEAS BUILD TO 8-12 FT, WITH CHANCES  
FOR SIGNIFICANT WAVE HEIGHTS TO REACH 15 FT REMAINING LESS THAN  
10%. BEHIND THIS SYSTEM, WINDS AND SEAS SHOULD EASE FROM LATE IN  
THE WEEK INTO NEXT WEEKEND. -36  
 

 
   
PQR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
 
 
OR...NONE.  
WA...NONE.  
PZ...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FROM 2 PM TO 8 PM PDT MONDAY FOR PZZ210-  
251.  
 

 
 

 
 
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