889
FXUS66 KPDT 081713
AFDPDT
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PENDLETON OR
1013 AM PDT WED JUL 8 2026
KEY MESSAGES
- COOLING TREND THROUGH THURSDAY.
- DRY AND LOCALLY BREEZY CONDITIONS THROUGH THE WEEK.
- ELEVATED FIRE WEATHER CONCERNS THROUGH SATURDAY.
DISCUSSION
CURRENT RADAR AND INFRARED SATELLITE IMAGERY SHOWS LIGHT RETURNS
LINGERING ACROSS EASTERN WALLOWA COUNTY UNDER MOSTLY CLEAR
SKIES. THIS IS IN RESPONSE TO THE UPPER LEVEL TROUGH THAT
APPROACHED THE AREA DURING THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING HOURS ON
TUESDAY, BRINGING SOME STRONG THUNDERSTORMS TO AREAS OF GRANT
AND UNION COUNTIES. THE TROUGH AXIS PASSED OVERNIGHT WHICH KEPT
WINDS BREEZY ACROSS THE KITTITAS VALLEY, COLUMBIA GORGE, AND THE
BLUE MOUNTAIN FOOTHILLS. FLOW ALOFT HAS TURNED MORE FROM THE
WEST AND ZONAL IN THE WAKE OF THE PASSING SYSTEM THIS MORNING,
LEADING TO SLIGHTLY COOLER TEMPERATURES TODAY ASSOCIATED WITH A
WEAK COLD FRONT. HIGH TEMPERATURES WILL REACH INTO THE LOW TO
MID-90S ACROSS THE COLUMBIA BASIN AND BLUE MOUNTAIN FOOTHILLS,
WHICH IS 2-4 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL. ANOTHER DISSIPATING
SHORTWAVE WILL BRING ANOTHER WEAK BLAST OF COOLER AIR ON
THURSDAY AS HIGH TEMPERATURES APPROACH NEAR NORMAL VALUES.
THE WEAK, DISSIPATING SHORTWAVES BOTH TODAY AND THURSDAY WILL
ALLOW DAILY PRESSURE GRADIENTS TO DEVELOP ALONG THE CASCADES,
KEEPING WINDS BREEZY THROUGH THE AFTERNOON HOURS ACROSS THE
COLUMBIA BASIN. THE GFS AND NAM ADVERTISE A GRADIENT OF 8-10MB
BETWEEN PORTLAND AND SPOKANE TODAY, WHICH CORRELATES TO
SUSTAINED WINDS OF 15-25 MPH WITH GUSTS UP TO 35 MPH OUT OF THE
WEST. PEAK WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO OCCUR AFTER 5 PM AND SUBSIDE
LATE IN THE EVENING. NORTHWEST SUSTAINED WINDS OF 20-30 MPH AND
GUSTS UP TO 40 MPH ARE EXPECTED IN THE KITTITAS VALLEY, AND WILL
PEAK EARLIER AROUND 3 PM AND EXTEND THROUGH THE EVENING.
ADVISORY-LEVEL WINDS ARE NOT EXPECTED AS THE NBM SUGGESTS ONLY
A 30-35% CHANCE OF SUSTAINED WINDS OF 30 MPH OR GREATER, OR
GUSTS OF 45 MPH OR GREATER OVER THE KITTITAS VALLEY. ADVISORY
LEVEL WIND CHANCES ARE MUCH LOWER IN THE COLUMBIA BASIN, 10% OR
LESS.
AN UPPER LEVEL LOW WILL CONTINUE DROPPING ALONG THE BRITISH
COLUMBIA COAST THROUGH THE REMAINDER OF THE WEEK, STALLING JUST
NORTH OF VANCOUVER ISLAND SATURDAY MORNING. WEAK, SHORTWAVES
WILL SPIN OFF THIS PARENT LOW TO BRING SIMILAR AFTERNOON WINDS
THROUGH THE REMAINDER OF THE WEEK. THE ECMWF AI ENSEMBLES AND
GFS AI ENSEMBLES ARE IN GOOD AGREEMENT WITH A STRONG HIGH
PRESSURE CENTER DEVELOPING ACROSS THE 4 CORNERS REGION SATURDAY
AS THE LOW STALLS OFF THE BRITISH COLUMBIA COAST. THIS ENHANCES
SOUTHWEST FLOW ALOFT AND INCREASING HIGH TEMPERATURES INTO THE
MID-90S ACROSS THE COLUMBIA BASIN, BLUE MOUNTAIN FOOTHILLS, AND
CENTRAL OREGON THROUGH THE WEEKEND. THE HIGH SHIFTS NORTHEAST
AND INTO THE PLAINS AS THE LOW OFFSHORE WEAKENS AND LIFTS
NORTHEAST INTO CENTRAL BRITISH COLUMBIA, NORTHERN ALBERTA, AND
NORTHERN SASKATCHEWAN EARLY NEXT WEEK - EFFECTIVELY RIDING UP
AND OVER THE CENTRAL CONUS RIDGE. WINDS ACROSS THE AREA WILL
SUBSIDE ON SUNDAY INTO MONDAY, BUT HUMIDITIES ARE EXPECTED TO
DRY AS THE LARGE RIDGE INFILTRATES ITS INFLUENCE INTO THE AREA
FROM THE SOUTHEAST. 75
AVIATION /18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z THURSDAY/
VFR CONDITIONS PERSIST THROUGH ALL SITES. NO MAJOR CIG OR VIS
ISSUES EXPECTED. ONLY CONCERN WILL BE BREEZY WINDS AT DLS, RDM,
BDN, AND YKM. BREEZY WINDS WILL PERSIST IN DLS, WITH WINDS
DECREASING IN PDT BY 05Z. RDM AND BDN WILL SEE WINDS DEVELOP TO
AROUND 15-25 KNOT GUSTS FROM 0820Z TO 0905Z.
FIRE WEATHER
ELEVATED FIRE WEATHER CONCERNS WILL PERSIST THROUGH THE WEEK FOR
WA690, WA691, OR691, AND OR703, PEAKING THROUGH THE AFTERNOON
HOURS ASSOCIATED WITH THE INCOMING WEAK SHORTWAVES. AFTERNOON
HUMIDITIES WILL ALSO HOVER IN THE UPPER TEENS TO MID-20S EACH
DAY, WITH MODERATE TO GOOD OVERNIGHT RECOVERIES BETWEEN 40-60%.
THURSDAY IS EXPECTED TO BE THE MOST CONCERNING DAY AS MINIMUM
HUMIDITIES OF 15-20% AND WEST NORTHWEST WINDS BETWEEN 15-20 MPH
WITH GUSTS UP TO 30 MPH WILL BE POSSIBLE. HIGHER WINDS OF 15-25
MPH WITH GUSTS UP TO 35 MPH ARE LIKELY ACROSS THE KITTITAS
VALLEY THURSDAY. VERY LOW AFTERNOON HUMIDITIES DROPPING NEAR
SINGLE DIGIT VALUES ARE ALSO FORECAST FOR OR700 AND OR696 ON
THURSDAY. THESE CONCERNS ON THURSDAY WILL BE FURTHER ANALYZED,
BUT NO FIRE WEATHER PRODUCT IS ANTICIPATED AT THIS TIME. 75
PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS
PDT 88 55 88 55 / 0 0 0 0
ALW 90 60 89 60 / 0 0 0 0
PSC 93 57 91 58 / 0 0 0 0
YKM 92 57 91 58 / 0 0 0 0
HRI 91 58 90 59 / 0 0 0 0
ELN 82 54 84 55 / 0 0 0 0
RDM 86 47 87 48 / 0 0 0 0
LGD 88 53 88 53 / 0 0 0 0
GCD 90 50 90 52 / 0 0 0 0
DLS 85 58 88 60 / 0 0 0 0
PDT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
WA...OR...NONE.
DISCUSSION...75
AVIATION...95
FIRE WEATHER...95
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