598  
FXUS66 KPQR 010446 AAB  
AFDPQR  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PORTLAND OR  
945 PM PDT WED SEP 30 2026  
   
..UPDATED AVIATION DISCUSSION  
 
   
SYNOPSIS  
A BUILDING RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE WILL LEAD TO A WARMING  
TREND THROUGH THIS WEEKEND. EXPECT ABOVE AVERAGE TEMPERATURES WITH  
DRY CONDITIONS THROUGH THE FIRST WEEK OF OCTOBER. PATCHY MORNING FOG  
AT TIMES ACROSS INLAND VALLEYS WILL BE POSSIBLE, BEFORE OFFSHORE  
WINDS DEVELOP SATURDAY AND SUNDAY. OTHERWISE, LITTLE IN THE WAY OF  
WEATHER IMPACTS THROUGH THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK.  
 
 
   
DISCUSSION...NOW THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT  
CURRENT SATELLITE IMAGERY  
SHOWS A FEW LINGERING CLOUDS GIVING WAY TO MOSTLY SUNNY SKIES THIS  
AFTERNOON AS A BROAD RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE DEVELOPS OVER THE  
REGION. NEAR AVERAGE TEMPERATURES FOR THE END OF SEPTEMBER WILL BE  
FOLLOWED BY A WARMING TREND THROUGH THE WEEKEND AS WE MOVE INTO  
OCTOBER. A WEAK WEATHER SYSTEM IS EXPECTED TO REMAIN NORTH OF THE  
AREA AS IT MOVES TOWARD VANCOUVER ISLAND THURSDAY AND FRIDAY. THIS  
FEATURE WILL ALSO KEEP A FLATTER RIDGE OVER THE REGION WITH HIGH  
CLOUDS STREAMING ACROSS THE AREA. 850 MB TEMPERATURES ARE ALSO  
GRADUALLY WARMING A FEW DEGREES, WHICH WILL IN TURN ALLOW AFTERNOON  
HIGHS TO WARM INTO THE MID TO UPPER 70S ACROSS THE INTERIOR  
LOWLANDS THROUGH FRIDAY.  
 
DUE TO DECENT CLEARING DURING THE OVERNIGHT/MORNING HOURS, LIGHT  
WINDS, AND A MORE PROMINENT TEMPERATURE INVERSION DEVELOPING EACH  
NIGHT, PATCHY FOG DEVELOPMENT IS LIKELY, ESPECIALLY IN OUR MORE  
PROTECTED VALLEY AREAS WITH A WATER SOURCE. MORNING FOG WILL GREATLY  
REDUCE VISIBILITY WHEREVER PRESENT.  
 
EXPECT TEMPERATURES TO JUMP A FEW MORE DEGREES OVER THE WEEKEND AS  
THE UPPER LEVEL RIDGE AMPLIFIES OVER THE PACIFIC NW ALONG WITH  
MOSTLY SUNNY SKIES EACH AFTERNOON. TEMPERATURES WILL LIKELY WARM  
INTO THE UPPER 70S TO LOWER 80S ON SATURDAY BEFORE WARMING A FEW  
MORE DEGREES, INTO THE LOWER TO MID-80S ON SUNDAY. MOST AREAS ARE  
NOT EXPECTED TO REACH RECORD HIGH TEMPS, BUT THE RECORD OF 84  
DEGREES ON SUNDAY AT PDX COULD BE IN JEOPARDY. OFFSHORE FLOW COULD  
ALSO BRING SLIGHTLY WARMER TEMPERATURES TO THE COAST AS WELL WITH  
HIGHS INTO THE UPPER 60S TO LOWER 70S.  
 
UNDERNEATH THIS UPPER-LEVEL RIDGE PATTERN, ENSEMBLES INDICATE A  
NEAR SURFACE THERMAL TROUGH DEVELOPS ALONG THE COAST ON FRIDAY  
THROUGH THIS WEEKEND. THIS PATTERN IS EXPECTED TO CAUSE WINDS TO  
SHIFT FROM THE ONSHORE (WESTERLY) PATTERN THE AREA HAS  
GENERALLY BEEN OBSERVING OVER THE PAST COUPLE OF WEEKS TO OFFSHORE  
(EAST TO NORTHEASTERLY). AT THIS TIME, PRESSURE GRADIENTS DO NOT  
LOOK TO BE VERY HIGH, PEAKING AT A -3MB TO -4MB DIFFERENCE BETWEEN  
PDX AND DLS, SO WINDS AREN'T EXPECTED TO BE STRONG. INSTEAD, EXPECT  
TO SEE A TYPICAL DIURNAL BEHAVIOR OF WINDS BECOMING EASTERLY ON THE  
WEST SIDE OF TERRAIN (MAINLY CASCADES, POTENTIALLY COAST RANGE PEAKS  
AS WELL) IN THE OVERNIGHT TO MORNING HOURS AND INCREASING TO PEAK  
GUSTS UP TO 20-35 MPH. THEN, WINDS DECREASE OVER THE TERRAIN DURING  
THE DAY AND INCREASE THROUGH THE VALLEY FROM THE NORTH IN THE  
AFTERNOON HOURS WITH GUSTS UP TO 20 MPH. THE PROBABILITY OF WIND  
GUSTS PEAKING ABOVE 30 MPH IS LESS THAN 10-25% EVERYWHERE EXCEPT FOR  
THROUGH THE WESTERN COLUMBIA RIVER GORGE AND SURROUNDING TERRAIN AT  
50-65%, WHICH IS GENERALLY THE WINDIEST LOCATION DURING OFFSHORE  
FLOW. AT LEAST CONFIDENCE IS MODERATE TO HIGH REGARDING THE  
TRANSITION BACK TO ONSHORE FLOW SUNDAY NIGHT INTO MONDAY WHICH WOULD  
BRING AN END TO THESE DRIER AND LOCALLY BREEZY CONDITIONS.  
 
BY MONDAY, THE VAST MAJORITY OF ENSEMBLE MEMBERS INDICATE THE RIDGE  
AXIS SHIFTS EAST OF WA AND OR, ALLOWING FOR INCREASED ONSHORE FLOW.  
TEMPERATURES SHOULD LOWER AGAIN INTO THE 70S FOR THE INTERIOR  
VALLEYS, THOUGH STILL REMAINING SOMEWHAT ABOVE NORMAL, WITH DRY  
WEATHER CONTINUING THROUGH THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK. DH/99  
 
 
   
AVIATION...THROUGH 06Z FRIDAY  
SATELLITE IMAGERY AND TERMINAL  
OBSERVATIONS AS OF LATE THURSDAY EVENING DEPICTS VFR CONDITIONS  
WITH SCT/BKN HIGH CLOUDS. CHANCES FOR MVFR STRATUS AT ANY TERMINAL  
IS AROUND 5-15% AT ANY GIVEN HOUR BETWEEN 10-17Z THU, WITH THE  
HIGHEST CHANCES ALONG THE COAST AND KEUG. HIGH PRESSURE OVER THE  
REGION WILL MAINTAIN PREDOMINATELY VFR CONDITIONS WITH HIGH CLOUDS  
THROUGH THE TAF PERIOD. VARIABLE WINDS UNDER 5 KT OVERNIGHT BECOME  
NORTH/NORTHWESTERLY AND INCREASE TO 5-10 KT IN THE AFTERNOON,  
STRONGEST IN THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN WILLAMETTE VALLEY.  
 
KPDX AND APPROACHES...VFR WITH HIGH CLOUDS AND NORTHWESTERLY  
WINDS 2-5 KT CONTINUE THROUGH THE TAF PERIOD. -10  
 
 
   
MARINE  
CALMER CONDITIONS OVER THE WATERS CONTINUES TODAY, WITH  
WAVE HEIGHTS AROUND 5 TO 6 FEET. A WEAK WEATHER SYSTEM OUT OF THE  
WEST WILL APPROACH THE NORTHERN WATERS LATE THURSDAY, TEMPORARILY  
SHIFTING WINDS OUT OF THE WEST AND INCREASING THEM SLIGHTLY.  
NORTHERLY WINDS THEN RETURN FRIDAY, LIKELY PERSISTING THROUGH THE  
WEEKEND INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK. OTHERWISE, THE WEST TO  
NORTHWESTERLY SWELL OF 5 TO 6 FT AT 9 TO 11 SECONDS TODAY WILL  
GRADUALLY SUBSIDE TO AROUND 3 TO 4 FT THURSDAY AND CONTINUE INTO  
THE WEEKEND. THERE IS NO OTHER PROMINENT SWELLS OF NOTE AT THIS  
TIME. ~12/99  
 
 
   
PQR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES  
 
OR...NONE.  
WA...NONE.  
PZ...NONE.  
 
 
 
 
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