497  
FXUS66 KPQR 240444 AAA  
AFDPQR  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PORTLAND OR  
944 PM PDT SUN AUG 23 2026  
 
UPDATED AVIATION DISCUSSION  
   
SYNOPSIS  
UPPER LEVEL RIDGING AND LOW-LEVEL OFFSHORE FLOW  
DEVELOPS MONDAY, CONTINUING INTO TUESDAY, BRINGING WARMER AND  
SUNNIER CONDITIONS WITH HIGH TEMPERATURES IN THE MID 80S TO  
LOWER 90S ACROSS THE INTERIOR LOWLANDS, WARMEST ON MONDAY.  
WILDFIRE SMOKE WILL ALSO BEGIN TO INCREASE OVER THE COLUMBIA  
RIVER GORGE, UPPER HOOD RIVER VALLEY, AND THE GREATER  
PORTLAND/VANCOUVER METRO AREA MONDAY MORNING AND THEN LINGER  
THROUGH TUESDAY; HOWEVER SMOKE IS NOT EXPECTED TO BE DENSE FOR  
MOST LOCATIONS. ONSHORE FLOW ARRIVES BY WEDNESDAY AND CONTINUES  
THEREAFTER, WHICH WILL CLEAR ANY LINGERING SMOKE OUT OF THE AREA  
AND BRING RELATIVELY COOLER TEMPERATURES THROUGH THE END OF THE  
WEEK AND INTO THE WEEKEND.  
 
 
   
DISCUSSION...TONIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT  
WATER VAPOR SATELLITE  
IMAGERY REVEALS THE UPPER LEVEL SHORTWAVE TROUGH LIFTING ACROSS NE  
WASHINGTON INTO CANADA THIS AFTERNOON. HEIGHTS ALOFT WILL CONTINUE  
TO INCREASE THROUGH TONIGHT ALLOWING FOR CLEARING SKIES. AS A RIDGE  
OF HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS ALOFT OVER THE REGION, A SURFACE THERMAL  
TROUGH DEVELOPS ALONG THE COAST EXTENDING INTO WESTERN WA EARLY  
MONDAY MORNING. THIS WILL ALLOW FOR LIGHT OFFSHORE FLOW TO DEVELOPS,  
ESPECIALLY OVER THE WESTERN SLOPES OF THE CASCADES WITH EAST WINDS  
INCREASING THROUGH THE COLUMBIA RIVER GORGE LATER MONDAY MORNING.  
WINDS ARE NOT EXPECTED TO BE VERY STRONG, BUT GUSTS UP TO 25-30 MPH  
WILL CERTAINLY BE POSSIBLE THROUGH THE WESTERN GORGE. TEMPERATURES  
AT 850 MB ARE ALSO EXPECTED TO RAPIDLY RISE TO AROUND 20C BY MONDAY  
EVENING. DOWNSLOPING WINDS AND AFTERNOON MIXING WILL THEREFORE ALLOW  
FOR SURFACE TEMPERATURES TO WARM INTO THE UPPER 80S TO LOWER 90S  
ACROSS MUCH OF THE INLAND LOWLANDS, AS WELL AS THROUGH CASCADE  
VALLEYS, WHILE TEMPERATURES AT THE COAST WILL LIKELY WARM INTO THE  
70S BEFORE WINDS SHIFT AS SEA-BREEZES OCCUR EARLY IN THE AFTERNOON.  
THIS OFFSHORE FLOW WILL ALSO CAUSE WILDFIRE SMOKE TO BEGIN TO FILTER  
BACK DOWN INTO THE VALLEYS, INCLUDING INTO THE PORTLAND/VANCOUVER  
METRO AREA, COLUMBIA RIVER GORGE AND UPPER HOOD RIVER VALLEY.  
HOWEVER, SMOKE IS NOT EXPECTED TO BE DENSE FOR MOST LOCATIONS.  
 
BY MONDAY EVENING, THE SURFACE THERMAL TROUGH IS EXPECTED TO SHIFT  
EAST INTO THE WILLAMETTE VALLEY, AND POTENTIALLY TO THE CASCADE  
CREST, ALLOWING FOR ONSHORE FLOW TO RETURN ACROSS MUCH OF THE AREA.  
LINGERING LOW PRESSURE IN THE VALLEY WILL LIKELY ALLOW FOR VERY  
LIGHT OFFSHORE FLOW TO RETURN OVER THE CASCADE FOOTHILLS MONDAY  
NIGHT INTO EARLY TUESDAY. THIS WILL LIKELY MAINTAIN ELEVATED  
OVERNIGHT TEMPERATURES IN THE LOWER TO MID-60S WHERE THE EASTERLY  
WINDS PERSIST. A MODERATE RISK OF HEAT RELATED ILLNESSES WILL  
THEREFORE EXIST MONDAY INTO TUESDAY. WILDFIRE SMOKE IS ALSO LIKELY  
TO LINGER INTO TUESDAY AS WELL FOR NORTHERN PORTIONS OF THE FORECAST  
AREA.  
 
EARLY TUESDAY, A SHORTWAVE TROUGH WILL LIFT JUST OFFSHORE, SKIRTING  
THE COAST, AS A DEEPER UPPER LEVEL LOW IN THE GULF OF ALASKA DROPS  
SOUTH. THIS SHOULD CAUSE A SOUTHERLY WIND REVERSAL TO OCCUR ALONG  
THE OREGON COAST AND INTO THE WILLAMETTE VALLEY. HEIGHTS ALOFT STILL  
REMAIN HIGH WITH THE AXIS OF THE UPPER LEVEL RIDGE OVER THE  
INTERMOUNTAIN WEST, BUT 850 MB TEMPS COOL TO AROUND 16-17C. STILL  
EXPECTING TUESDAY TEMPERATURES TO WARM INTO THE MID TO UPPER 80S  
(ABOUT 4-8 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL). BY TUESDAY EVENING, SURFACE HIGH  
PRESSURE BUILDING ALONG THE COAST WILL BRING A STRONG MARINE PUSH OF  
WESTERLY WINDS. ANY LINGERING WILDFIRE SMOKE SHOULD SHIFT BACK EAST  
OF THE CASCADES BY WEDNESDAY.  
 
MODELS AND THEIR ENSEMBLES ARE SHOWING FAIRLY GOOD AGREEMENT THAT  
THE UPPER LEVEL TROUGH OVER THE NE PACIFIC GRADUALLY PUSHES EAST  
OVER THE PACIFIC NW WEDNESDAY THROUGH THURSDAY, WITH TROUGHING  
LIKELY PERSISTING OVER THE REGION THROUGH THE END OF THE WEEK AND  
INTO THE WEEKEND. THERE IS HIGH CONFIDENCE THAT TEMPERATURES TREND  
COOLER TO NEAR OR SLIGHTLY BELOW AVERAGE. CONFIDENCE IS LOW  
REGARDING PRECIPITATION, IF ANY WILL OCCUR LATER THIS WEEK. BUT, IF  
ANY RAIN DOES FALL, IT WOULD MOST LIKELY BE VERY LIGHT. BEST CHANCES  
WOULD BE DRIZZLE ALONG THE COAST WITH A WEAK FRONTAL PASSAGE  
THURSDAY MORNING; AND AGAIN ON SATURDAY, BUT POP REMAINS AROUND 15%  
OR LESS. /DH  
 
 
   
AVIATION...06Z TAFS  
GENERALLY VFR CONDITIONS UNDER MOSTLY  
CLEAR SKIES ACROSS THE AIRSPACE THROUGH AROUND 15Z MONDAY. COASTAL  
LOCATIONS COULD SEE SOME MVFR TO LIFR CONDITIONS DEVELOPING ALONG  
THE COAST FROM 08Z-18Z MONDAY, WITH HIGHER PROBABILITIES OF  
IFR/LIFR CONDITIONS IMPACTING KONP. COULD ALSO SEE SOME MVFR  
CONDITIONS DEVELOPING BETWEEN KSLE AND KEUG THROUGH THE SAME TIME,  
BUT THERE IS ONLY A 10-25% CHANCE OF THIS OCCURRING. ANY LOWERED  
FLIGHT CONDITIONS SHOULD DEVELOP INTO VFR AROUND 16Z-18Z MONDAY.  
 
NORTH/NORTHEAST WINDS THROUGH THE TAF PERIOD. EXPECT BREEZY WINDS  
GUSTING AROUND OF 20 KT AT KONP. AROUND 18-20Z MONDAY, EASTERLY  
WINDS AROUND 8-11 KT ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP AT KTTD AND KPDX AS  
OFFSHORE WINDS DEVELOP THROUGH THE COLUMBIA RIVER GORGE. THE  
NORTH/NORTHEAST WINDS WILL ALSO PUSH SOME WILDFIRE SMOKE/HAZE INTO  
THE WILLAMETTE VALLEY.  
 
SMOKE/HAZE WILL HAVE THE POTENTIAL REDUCE VERTICAL AND SLANTWISE  
VISIBILITIES AT TIMES. IN ADDITION, TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED TO  
WARM INTO THE LOWER 90S MONDAY AFTERNOON AT THE INLAND TAF SITES,  
SO BE AWARE OF HIGH DENSITY ALTITUDE WHICH MAY REDUCE AIRCRAFT  
PERFORMANCE.  
 
KPDX AND APPROACHES...GENERALLY VFR FLIGHT CONDITIONS THROUGH THE  
TAF PERIOD. NORTH/NORTHEAST WINDS THROUGH THE TAF PERIOD WITH MORE  
EASTERLY WINDS DEVELOPING AROUND 18-20Z MONDAY. EXPECT 8-11 KT  
TO DEVELOP NEAR AND EAST OF THE TERMINAL AS EASTERLY WINDS  
DEVELOP THROUGH THE COLUMBIA RIVER GORGE. SMOKE/HAZE WILL HAVE THE  
POTENTIAL REDUCE VERTICAL AND SLANTWISE VISIBILITIES AT TIMES. IN  
ADDITION, TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED TO WARM INTO THE LOWER 90S  
MONDAY AFTERNOON AT THE INLAND TAF SITES, SO BE AWARE OF HIGH  
DENSITY ALTITUDE WHICH MAY REDUCE AIRCRAFT PERFORMANCE. /42  
 
 
   
MARINE  
NORTHERLY WINDS WILL GRADUALLY INCREASE SUNDAY  
AFTERNOON AND EVENING AS HIGH PRESSURE STRENGTHENS OVER THE  
NORTHEAST PACIFIC. GUSTY WINDS WILL DEVELOP OVER THE WATERS,  
INCREASING FROM SOUTH TO NORTH FROM FLORENCE TO CAPE SHOALWATER.  
WIND GUSTS UP TO 25 KT ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP SUNDAY EVENING  
OVER THE SOUTHERN AND CENTRAL WATERS, AND OVER THE NORTHERN  
WATERS SUNDAY NIGHT. THESE WIND SPEEDS WILL THEN PERSIST THROUGH  
MONDAY AFTERNOON/EARLY EVENING BEFORE DECREASING MONDAY NIGHT.  
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORIES REMAIN IN EFFECT FROM 5 PM SUNDAY TO 5 PM  
MONDAY FOR THE COASTAL WATERS FROM FLORENCE NORTH TO CAPE  
FALCON AND FROM 11 PM SUNDAY TO 8 PM MONDAY FOR THE COASTAL  
WATERS NORTH OF CAPE FALCON TO CAPE SHOALWATER. GUSTY NORTH  
WINDS UP TO 25 KT ARE ALSO EXPECTED FOR THE COLUMBIA RIVER BAR  
STARTING AT 8 AM MONDAY, WHICH ALSO HAS A SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY  
IN EFFECT.  
 
A SOUTHERLY WIND REVERSAL ARRIVES EARLY TUESDAY MORNING OVER THE  
INNER WATERS WITH GUSTS UP TO 15-20 KT EXPECTED BY TUESDAY  
AFTERNOON. THIS WILL ALSO BRING INCREASING CHANCES FOR MARINE FOG  
BEGINNING EARLY TUESDAY MORNING, ESPECIALLY OVER THE INNER  
WATERS. VISIBILITIES MAY FALL BELOW 1 SM AT TIMES AS THE SOUTHERLY  
WINDS DEVELOP AND UPWELLING OCCURS. ASIDE FROM THE INCREASING  
WINDS AND POTENTIAL MARINE FOG, SIGNIFICANT WAVE HEIGHTS LOOK TO  
REMAIN RELATIVELY LOW AT AROUND 3 TO 5 FT THROUGH FRIDAY. -23  
 
 
   
PQR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES  
 
OR...NONE.  
WA...NONE.  
PZ...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FROM 8 AM TO 8 PM PDT MONDAY FOR PZZ210.  
 
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY UNTIL 8 PM PDT MONDAY FOR PZZ251-271.  
 
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY UNTIL 5 PM PDT MONDAY FOR PZZ252-253-272-  
273.  
 
 
 
 
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