869
FXUS66 KPDT 252328
AFDPDT
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PENDLETON OR
428 PM PDT WED MAR 25 2026
.UPDATED AVIATION DISCUSSION.
KEY MESSAGES
- LIGHT SNOW AND RAIN SHOWERS CONTINUE IN THE MOUNTAIN REGIONS
TONIGHT. DRYING CONDITIONS DEVELOP THURSDAY MORNING THROUGH THE
WEEKEND.
- HIGH RUNNING RIVERS CONTINUE
DISCUSSION
THE BALANCE OF THIS AFTERNOON WILL BRING THE MOST BREEZY/WINDY
CONDITIONS OF THE FORECAST HEADING THROUGH THE WEEKEND. AS OF 2
PM, METARS AND OTHER MESONET LOCATIONS ON THE LOWER SLOPES AND
AREAS INTO THE COLUMBIA BASIN WERE SHOWING BETWEEN 30 AND 40
MPH GUSTS, HOWEVER THIS WAS NOT WIDESPREAD. THE GUSTY WINDS ARE
IN RESPONSE TO A FRONTAL SYSTEM LATE TODAY AND TONIGHT THAT WILL
WILL PUSH THE NOSE OF A PACIFIC SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE ACROSS
INTO THE INLAND NORTHWEST, BRINGING LOWERED SNOW LEVELS AND
COLDER MORNING TEMPERATURES TO THE REGION. ADDITIONAL SNOWFALL
ACROSS THE WASHINGTON CASCADE CREST/EASTERN UPPER SLOPES CAN
REACH 6-10 INCHES AT THE PEAKS IN KITTITAS COUNTY. HOWEVER THE
BROADER AREA OF THE UPPER SLOPES BELOW ABOUT 4500 FT MSL WILL
ONLY SEE POTENTIAL FOR UP TO 2 INCHES OF SNOW AT THE MOST; ALL
OF WHICH WILL BE MELTING ON CONTACT ON ROADS THROUGH THE
SNOQUALMIE PASS AND THE I-90 CORRIDOR. BASED ON THE LAMP
GUIDANCE TREND, THESE WIND GUSTS SHOULD TREND UP A FEW MORE
KNOTS THROUGH THE EVENING AS THE POST COLD FRONTAL MOMENTUM
TRANSFER INFLUENCES LOW LEVEL MIXING AFTER SUNSET. BREEZY
CONDITIONS BEHIND THE FRONT LATE THIS EVENING WILL WANE TO 5 TO
15 KNOTS RANGE BY THE OVERNIGHT HOURS. JUST ABOUT THE ENTIRE
FORECAST AREA IS EXPECTED TO BE AROUND FREEZING OR COLDER, BASED
ON NBM MEAN FORECASTS. FROST PROBABILITIES ARE HIGH ENOUGH FOR
AREAS TO WIDESPREAD FROST ACROSS PORTIONS OF THE LOWER COLUMBIA
BASIN AS WELL AS THE KITTITAS AND YAKIMA VALLEYS, AND EASTERN
COLUMBIA RIVER GORGE. THESE ARE AREAS TO FIRST BE ELIGIBLE FOR
ROUTINE FROST AND FREEZE HEADLINES AS WE HEADING INTO THE MIDDLE
OF APRIL. THE NEXT SEMBLANCE OF A FETCH OF AR MOISTURE IS
NOTED IN THE EC/GFS IVT BY LATE SUNDAY INTO MONDAY. THIS ONE
APPEARS TO BE WEAKER AND MORE OF A SOUTHERN TRACK THAN THE LAST
ATMOSPHERIC RIVER. IN THE MEANTIME EXPECT DRY CONDITIONS AREA
WIDE THURSDAY THROUGH SATURDAY WITH SOME 50% PROBABILITIES FOR
MOUNTAIN RAIN/SNOW SHOWERS RETURNING BY SUNDAY. RUSSELL/71
AVIATION /00Z TAFS THROUGH 00Z FRIDAY/
VFR CONDITIONS CURRENTLY ACROSS ALL SITES, WHICH WILL STAY THE
COURSE THROUGH THE PERIOD. BREEZY WINDS OF 20-30KTS ARE OCCURRING AT
ALL TERMINALS. THIS IS IN RESPONSE TO A PASSING COLD FRONT THAT WILL
KEEP BROKEN CEILINGS OF AROUND 25KFT BEFORE CLEARING LATER THIS
EVENING AS HIGH PRESSURE MOVES IN BEHIND THE FRONT. WINDS WILL ALSO
SLOWLY TAPER OFF THROUGH THE EVENING AND BECOME LESS THAN 10KTS BY
EARLY THURSDAY MORNING. 75
FIRE WEATHER
OVERALL FIRE WEATHER RISK THOUGH THE WEEK IS LOW. THAT SAID
DRIER, WARMER CONDITIONS FRIDAY AND SATURDAY WILL LEAD TO LOW
RELATIVE HUMIDITY ACROSS THE CENTRAL OREGON , EASTERN SLOPES OF
THE OREGON CASCADES AND INTO THE JOHN DAY/OCHOCO HIGHLANDS EACH
AFTERNOON. WINDS MAY GUSTS UP TO AROUND THE 20 MPH THRESHOLD AND
MAKE THE FIRE RISK MORE ELEVATED FOR ANY AREAS OF DRY AND FIRE
CARRYING FUELS ESPECIALLY SATURDAY AFTERNOON. RUSSELL/71
HYDROLOGY
RIVERS CONTINUE TO RUN HIGH THROUGH THIS PERIOD HOWEVER THE
BREAK IN THE MORE PERSISTENT RAINFALL WILL BRING A REPRIEVE TO
THE MINOR FLOODING CONDITIONS ALONG THE YAKIMA AND NACHES
RIVERS. THE NACHES RIVER AT NACHES IS FORECAST TO FALL BELOW
FLOOD STAGE THIS EVENING, HOWEVER THE MOST RECENT MEASURED
STAGE WAS SLIGHTLY OVER THE LATEST FORECAST HYDROGRAPHS, HENCE
UNCERTAINTY IN THE RIVER TIMING TO FALL BELOW MINOR FLOOD STAGE
EXTEND INTO LATE EVENING. RUSSELL/71
PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS
PDT 29 52 28 59 / 10 0 0 0
ALW 33 51 33 60 / 20 0 0 0
PSC 33 57 29 63 / 0 0 0 0
YKM 28 54 30 58 / 10 0 0 0
HRI 31 56 28 61 / 0 0 0 0
ELN 27 49 27 53 / 20 0 0 0
RDM 20 52 23 64 / 10 0 0 0
LGD 26 49 26 61 / 30 0 0 0
GCD 25 51 28 66 / 10 0 0 0
DLS 33 58 33 62 / 20 0 0 0
PDT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
WA...NONE.
OR...NONE.
DISCUSSION...71
AVIATION...95
FIRE WEATHER...71
HYDROLOGY...95
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