202  
FXUS66 KPQR 040455 AAA  
AFDPQR  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PORTLAND OR  
955 PM PDT THU SEP 3 2026  
 
UPDATED AVIATION DISCUSSION...  
   
SYNOPSIS
 
AN UNSETTLED AIRMASS REMAINS OVERHEAD INTO THE  
WEEKEND WITH LINGERING SHOWERS GRADUALLY DIMINISHING DAY TO DAY.  
THEN CONDITIONS TREND DRIER BY THE EARLY TO MIDDLE PORTION OF  
NEXT WEEK AS TEMPERATURES SLOWLY CLAW THEIR WAY BACK NEAR NORMAL  
FOR EARLY SEPTEMBER. HOWEVER, UNCERTAINTY IN THE LARGE SCALE  
PATTERN GROWS NOTICEABLY AROUND THE MIDDLE PORTION OF NEXT WEEK.  
 

 
   
DISCUSSION...TODAY THROUGH THURSDAY
 
A VERTICALLY STACKED  
UPPER-LEVEL LOW CONTINUES TO CHURN OFF THE OREGON COAST THIS  
AFTERNOON WITH INSTABILITY REACHING JUST DEEP ENOUGH INTO THE  
ATMOSPHERE TO SUPPORT OCCASIONAL LIGHTNING STRIKES IN SOME OF  
THE STRONGER CONVECTIVE CELLS. GIVEN THE PLACEMENT OF THE LOW  
PRESSURE AND POCKETS LOCALIZED LOW LEVEL SHEAR PARTIALLY INDUCED  
BY OUR TERRAIN FEATURES, ONE OR TWO SHOWERS/T-STORMS HAVE  
EXHIBITED ROTATION WITH AT LEAST ONE FUNNEL CLOUD REPORTED BY A  
WEATHER SPOTTER NEAR MIDDAY TODAY. THE THREAT FOR THUNDERSTORMS  
AND VERY ISOLATED COLD-CORE FUNNEL CLOUDS WILL PERSIST INTO THE  
EVENING HOURS BEFORE THE LOSS THE DAYTIME HEATING WEAKENS  
REMAINING CONVECTION. SHOWER CHANCES LIKELY CONTINUE OVERNIGHT.  
 
COME FRIDAY THE CORE OF THIS LOW PRESSURE FEATURE WILL FINALLY  
BEGIN TO SHIFT INTO WESTERN OREGON ALTHOUGH NOT TOO MUCH WILL  
CHANGE IN REGARD TO OUR OVERALL CONDITIONS. THAT SAID, MODELS  
LIKE THE HREF INDICATE THE COVERAGE OF SHOWERS MAY BE A TOUCH  
LOWER THAN TODAY (THURSDAY), AND MORE LIKELY IN THE SOUTHERN  
WILLAMETTE VALLEY IN ADDITION TO FAVORING TERRAIN FEATURES LIKE  
THE COAST RANGE, AND CASCADES. EXPLORING DETERMINISTIC MODEL  
SOUNDINGS FROM THE GFS, NAM, ETC. SHOW JUST ENOUGH CAPE  
EXTENDING INTO THE MIX-PHASED REGION OF THE ATMOSPHERE FOR A  
LIGHTNING STRIKE OR TWO TO BE PRODUCED IN STRONGER CELLS,  
HOWEVER, A GLARING LACK OF VERTICAL SHEAR MEANS ANY STORMS WHICH  
DO DEVELOP WILL BE SHORT-LIVED AND PULSE-LIKE. INFREQUENT  
LIGHTNING, HEAVY RAIN, AND GUSTY OUTFLOW WINDS ARE THE PRIMARY  
IMPACTS. ANY ACTIVITY THEN QUICKLY DECREASES AFTER SUNSET INTO  
FRIDAY NIGHT.  
 
OVER THE WEEKEND, THE MAJORITY OF DETERMINISTIC AND ENSEMBLE  
MEMBERS CONTINUE TO SHOW THE BROAD UPPER-LEVEL LOW PRESSURE  
HOLDING FIRM OVER THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST WITH LINGERING SHOWER  
CHANCES MOST LIKELY DURING THE DAYTIME HOURS AND OVER TERRAIN  
FEATURES AS DIURNAL HEATING LIKELY PLAYS A MAJOR ROLE IN SHOWER  
GENERATION. CONFIDENCE IS HIGH THAT TEMPERATURES REMAIN BELOW  
NORMAL FOR THIS TIME OF YEAR BY ROUGHLY 3-12 DEGREES (COOLEST  
IN THE CASCADES). IT MIGHT BE WORTH PACKING A JACKET/COAT IF  
YOU PLAN ON VENTURING INTO THE MOUNTAINS THIS WEEKEND. EARLY  
NEXT WEEK, THE MAJORITY OF ENSEMBLE MEMBERS FINALLY SHOW THE  
UPPER LOW BEGINNING TO ACCELERATE EASTWARD FAVORING THE RETURN  
OF DRY CONDITIONS AND A GRADUAL WARMING TREND. BUT FROM THIS  
POINT FORWARD ENSEMBLES BEGIN TO DEVIATE FROM ONE ANOTHER WHEN  
TRYING TO RESOLVE THE UPPER-LEVEL PATTERN, PARTICULARLY IN  
REGARDS TO A RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE TRYING TO DEVELOP OVER THE  
ROCKIES INTO SOUTHEAST OREGON WHILE A TROUGH AMPLIFIES OVER THE  
EASTERN PACIFIC. CURRENTLY AROUND 60% OF ENSEMBLES FAVOR A  
WARMER/DRIER SOLUTION WITH HIGHS ABOVE NORMAL (MID 80S) BY  
WEDNESDAY/THURSDAY WHILE THE REMAINING 40% POINT TO A SOMEWHAT  
COOLER SOLUTION (LOW TO MID 70S). WE'LL SEE HOW MODELS TREND  
DURING THIS MID-WEEK PERIOD OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS AS  
ENSEMBLE AGREEMENT HOPEFULLY INCREASES. -99  
 

 
   
AVIATION...THROUGH 06Z SATURDAY
 
A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM REMAINS  
OVER THE AREA, MAINTAINING MOIST, SOUTHWEST FLOW ALOFT AND  
SOUTHERLY TO VARIABLE LIGHT WINDS AT THE SURFACE. EXPECT VFR  
CONDITIONS TO PREVAIL THROUGH THE TAF PERIOD, WITH THE EXCEPTION  
OF A 30-40% CHANCE OF MVFR CONDITIONS AT KONP THROUGH AT LEAST 18Z  
FRI. RAIN CONTINUES TO GRADUALLY TAPER OFF FROM NORTH TO SOUTH  
THIS EVENING, WITH RADAR SHOWING RAIN SHOWERS MOSTLY SOUTH OF  
KPDX AND KAST AS OF 05Z FRI. WHILE THUNDERSTORMS HAVE BECOME LESS  
LIKELY HEADING INTO THE OVERNIGHT HOURS, ANY THUNDERSTORMS THAT  
DO DEVELOP WILL HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO PRODUCE LIGHTNING AND  
GUSTY/ERRATIC WINDS. CHANCES OF THUNDERSTORMS AROUND 15-30% RETURN  
FRI AFTERNOON. EXPECT LIGHT AND VARIABLE WINDS INLAND AND  
SOUTHEASTERLY WINDS AROUND 4 TO 8 KT ALONG THE COAST TO BECOME  
LIGHT AND NORTHWESTERLY TOWARDS FRI AFTERNOON.  
 
KPDX AND APPROACHES...VFR WITH VICINITY SHOWERS PERSISTING AS LATE  
AS 12Z FRI, ALTHOUGH MAY RETURN FRI AFTERNOON. LIGHT WINDS THROUGH  
THE TAF PERIOD, RANGING FROM SOUTHEASTERLY TO VARIABLE. THERE IS A  
15% CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS FRI AFTERNOON. ~12  
 

 
   
MARINE
 
A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM CENTERED APPROXIMATELY 100 NM WEST  
OF THE NORTH OREGON COAST WILL GRADUALLY WEAKEN AS IT MOVES TOWARD  
THE SOUTHERN OR COAST THROUGH FRIDAY. BREEZY SOUTHERLY WINDS  
CONTINUE THROUGH THIS EVENING WITH GUSTS UP TO 30 KT POSSIBLE THIS  
AFTERNOON. BUOY OBSERVATIONS THIS AFTERNOON SHOW SEAS AT AROUND  
10 FT AT 11 SECONDS. EXPECT SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY CONDITIONS TO  
PERSIST ACROSS THE COASTAL WATERS THROUGH 11 PM THIS EVENING,  
EXCEPT FOR 2 AM FRIDAY FOR THE WATERS SOUTH OF CAPE FOULWEATHER.  
WINDS OVER THE COASTAL WATERS ARE THEN EXPECTED TO EASE TURNING  
MORE EASTERLY OVERNIGHT INTO FRIDAY. ALSO, A 15-30% CHANCE FOR  
THUNDERSTORMS EXISTS ACROSS THE WATERS, WHICH COULD PRODUCE  
LIGHTNING AND GUSTY/ERRATIC WINDS.  
 
LIGHT OFFSHORE FLOW BECOMES NORTHERLY LATER SATURDAY AND SUNDAY AS  
WEAK HIGH PRESSURE REBUILDS OVER THE WATERS. SEAS ARE EXPECTED TO  
FALL BELOW 10 FT BY EARLY FRIDAY MORNING, AND CONTINUE TO SUBSIDE  
TO AROUND 4 TO 5 FT BY SATURDAY. CONDITIONS LOOK TO REMAIN RATHER  
BENIGN INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK. /DH  
 

 
   
PQR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
 
 
OR...NONE.  
WA...NONE.  
PZ...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY UNTIL 11 PM PDT THIS EVENING FOR PZZ210-251-  
252-271-272.  
 
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY UNTIL 2 AM PDT FRIDAY FOR PZZ253-273.  

 
 

 
 
WWW.WEATHER.GOV/PORTLAND  
 
INTERACT WITH US VIA SOCIAL MEDIA:  
WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/NWSPORTLAND  
X.COM/NWSPORTLAND  
 
CLICK HERE TO GO TO PREVIOUS BULLETINS.

The Nexlab OR Page
The Nexlab WA Page Main Text Page