002
FXUS66 KPQR 052340 AAA
AFDPQR
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PORTLAND OR
440 PM PDT WED AUG 5 2026
..UPDATED AVIATION DISCUSSION
SYNOPSIS
THE REGION REMAINS UNDERNEATH A PATTERN FAVORING HOT,
DRY, AND RATHER SMOKY CONDITIONS THROUGH THURSDAY, BUT RELIEF IS ON
THE HORIZON. HIGH TEMPERATURES FOR MOST INLAND VALLEY LOCATIONS PEAK
IN THE UPPER 80S TO MID-90S THROUGH FRIDAY. HOWEVER, TEMPERATURES
WILL STILL BE WARM ENOUGH FOR WIDESPREAD MODERATE HEATRISK IMPACTS.
TEMPERATURES BEGIN TO TREND A TOUCH COOLER OVER THE WEEKEND WITH THE
RETURN OF STRONG ONSHORE FLOW EVICTING ANY LINGERING WILDFIRE SMOKE
AND HAZE BACK EAST OF THE CASCADE CRESTS BY THIS POINT. MORE
SEASONABLE CONDITIONS ARE ANTICIPATED EARLY NEXT WEEK.
DISCUSSION...TONIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT
HIGH PRESSURE
CONTINUES TO BUILD OVER THE REGION TODAY, BUT SMOKY SKIES AND
UNHEALTHY AIR QUALITY REMAIN THE MAIN CONCERNS ACROSS THE AREA. AS
THE UPPER LEVEL RIDGE AXIS BEGINS TO SHIFT OVER WESTERN OR AND WA
LATER THIS AFTERNOON, EXPECT LOWER LEVEL WINDS TO SHIFT FROM LIGHT
OFFSHORE TO MORE WESTERLY AS AN ONSHORE PUSH BEGINS THIS EVENING.
MODELS THAT DO NOT TAKE INTO ACCOUNT THE SMOKE HAVE BEEN SUGGESTING
THE WARMEST TEMPERATURES OF THE WEEK OCCURRING TODAY, WITH HIGHS
REACHING THE MID TO UPPER 90S. BUT, AS OF NOON, TEMPERATURES ARE
RUNNING AROUND 1-3 DEGREES COOLER THAN YESTERDAY WHERE THE SMOKE IS
MOST PREVALENT. TEMPERATURES IN THE COAST RANGE AND CASCADE
FOOTHILLS, THOUGH, ARE SHOWING TEMPS RUNNING AROUND 4-8 DEGREES
WARMER THAN YESTERDAY, BEING LESS IMPACTED BY WILDFIRE SMOKE.
THEREFORE, EXPECT INLAND VALLEY TEMPERATURES TO BE SIMILAR TO WHAT
WAS OBSERVED YESTERDAY, WITH HIGHS REACHING THE UPPER 80S TO LOWER
90S.
AS WINDS TURN MORE WESTERLY, SMOKE FROM THE GRASSHOPPER FIRE WILL
LIKELY REMAIN EAST OF THE CASCADES. BUT LINGERING SMOKE WILL STILL
TAKE SOME TIME TO MOVE OUT OF THE AREA ON THURSDAY WITH SKIES MORE
LIKELY TO SEE IMPROVEMENT BY THU NIGHT AS THE WESTERLIES INCREASE
AIDED BY A SHORTWAVE TROUGH OFFSHORE LIFTING INTO BRITISH COLUMBIA.
ENSEMBLE 850 MB TEMPS OF AROUND 20-22C ARE EXPECTED TO BE SIMILAR TO
TODAY AS THE UPPER LEVEL RIDGE REMAINS OVER THE REGION, AND WITH THE
SMOKE GRADUALLY DISPERSING, MORE SUNSHINE COULD LEAD TO SLIGHTLY
WARMER TEMPERATURES INLAND WITH HIGHS IN THE LOWER TO MID 90S. SO
WILL MAINTAIN THE HEAT ADVISORY THROUGH THU EVENING.
THERE IS A GROWING DEGREE OF HOPE FOR THE RETURN TO CLEARER, SMOKE-
FREE SKIES LATE THIS WEEK. MODELS ARE IN EXCELLENT AGREEMENT SHOWING
THE AXIS OF THE UPPER LEVEL RIDGE SLOWLY MOVING INTO EASTERN OR/WA
LATE THURSDAY INTO FRIDAY. THIS WILL BEGIN PUSHING SMOKE BACK EAST
OF THE CASCADES IN EARNEST LATE THURSDAY INTO FRIDAY, ALBEIT SLOWLY
FOR OUR INLAND VALLEYS INITIALLY.
REGARDLESS OF THE EXACT OUTCOME OF THE TEMPERATURES THE NEXT
SEVERAL DAYS, CONDITIONS WILL BE WARM ENOUGH TO BRING AN
INCREASED RISK OF HEAT-RELATED ILLNESSES. AS SUCH, VARIOUS HEAT
ADVISORIES REMAIN IN EFFECT FOR MOST INLAND VALLEYS THROUGH
TODAY AND THURSDAY. IN AREAS WITH AIR QUALITY ADVISORIES IN
EFFECT, IT IS RECOMMENDED TO KEEP WINDOWS AND DOOR SHUT TO
PREVENT SMOKE FROM GOING INDOORS. HOWEVER, THOSE WITHOUT AIR
CONDITIONING WHO ARE COUNTING ON OPENING THEIR WINDOWS AT NIGHT
TO HELP COOL DOWN WILL HAVE LESS OPTIONS. IN THIS SCENARIO,
SOMETHING AS SIMPLE AS A LARGE BOX FAN WITH A DAMP TOWEL DRAPED
OVER THE FRONT OF IT CAN BE SURPRISINGLY EFFECTIVE GIVEN THE DRY
AIRMASS IN PLACE. THIS COULD ALSO CAUSE AN IMPACT EVEN WITH
SLIGHTLY LOWER DAYTIME TEMPERATURES AS HOUSES MAY RETAIN MORE
HEAT IF WINDOWS CAN'T BE OPENED TO ADEQUATELY COOL OFF.
FRIDAY AND INTO THE WEEKEND, THE AXIS OF THE BROAD UPPER-LEVEL RIDGE
FEATURE MOVES EAST OF OR/WA, WHILE MORE ZONAL FLOW DEVELOPS OVER THE
PACIFIC NW, HELPING TO INCREASE ONSHORE FLOW. THAT SAID, THERE WILL
LIKELY BE ENOUGH INFLUENCE FROM THE HIGH PRESSURE RIDGE ALOFT AND
SLIGHT INCREASE IN UPPER-LEVEL HEIGHTS TO KEEP HIGH TEMPERATURES IN
THE LOW 90S ACROSS THE INLAND VALLEYS ON FRIDAY, AND POSSIBLY INTO
SATURDAY. AT LEAST AT THIS POINT ANY LINGERING WILDFIRE SMOKE SHOULD
BE COMPLETELY FLUSHED FROM WEST OF THE CASCADE CRESTS ASSUMING NO
ADDITIONAL NEW STARTS LOCALLY. ONSHORE FLOW IS EXPECTED TO
STRENGTHEN FURTHER OVER THE WEEKEND INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK HELPING
TEMPERATURES TO MODERATE BACK CLOSE TO NORMAL WITH MODERATE TO HIGH
CONFIDENCE FOR MAXIMUM TEMPERATURES RETURNING TO THE LOW TO MID 80S
SUNDAY THROUGH TUESDAY. IF YOU'RE LOOKING FOR ANY SORT OF RAINFALL
HEADED THROUGH THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK YOU'RE LIKELY OUT OF LUCK.
THERE ARE NO SIGNS OF ANY APPRECIABLE PRECIPITATION FOR THE REGION
HEADED INTO THE MIDDLE OF AUGUST. DH/99
AVIATION...THROUGH 00Z FRI
SATELLITE IMAGERY AND TERMINAL
OBSERVATIONS AS OF WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON DEPICTS WIDESPREAD SMOKE
ACROSS NORTHWEST OREGON AND SOUTHWEST WASHINGTON, WITH THE HIGHEST
CONCENTRATIONS OF SMOKE ACROSS THE WILLAMETTE VALLEY. MUCH OF THE
SMOKE HAS BEEN COMING FROM THE GRASSHOPPER FIRE NEAR MT. HOOD. THIS
IS RESULTING IN VIS REDUCTIONS TO 2-4 SM WITH FU CIGS BETWEEN 3-5
KFT ACROSS THE WILLAMETTE VALLEY. EXPECT THIS TREND TO CONTINUE
THROUGH TONIGHT; HOWEVER, A RETURN OF WINDS FROM THE WEST/NORTHWEST
WILL GRADUALLY PUSH SMOKE EASTWARD TONIGHT INTO THURSDAY. AS A
RESULT, COULD SEE SOME IMPROVEMENT IN VIS TO 6SM OR GREATER TONIGHT,
BUT CAN'T RULE OUT VIS OF 4-5 SM THROUGH 12-15Z THU.
AREAS IMMEDIATELY AROUND THE GRASSHOPPER FIRE MAY EXPERIENCE MUCH
LOWER VIS REDUCTIONS FROM SMOKE. ALONG THE COAST, LIFR STRATUS
PERSISTS AT KONP WHILE GUIDANCE FAVORS A RETURN OF LIFR/IFR CIGS AT
KAST AFTER 03-05Z (>80% CHANCE). WINDS GENERALLY UNDER 10 KT,
STRONGEST IN THE AFTERNOON AND EVENINGS. WINDS WEAKEN BELOW 5 KT
OVERNIGHT. BY THURSDAY AFTERNOON, INCREASING WESTERLY WINDS WILL
HELP CLEAR OUT SMOKE ACROSS WESTERN OREGON, FAVORING A RETURN OF VFR
VIS AND CIGS.
KPDX AND APPROACHES...MVFR VIS AND VFR CIGS THROUGH THIS EVENING DUE
TO SMOKE AND HAZE. MODERATE CONFIDENCE FOR VIS/CIGS IMPROVING TO VFR
TONIGHT INTO THURSDAY. HIGH CONFIDENCE FOR VFR CONDITIONS AFTER 00Z
FRI AS INCREASING ONSHORE FLOW PUSHES SMOKE EASTWARD. NORTHWESTERLY
WINDS AROUND 3-6 KT, STRONGEST IN THE AFTERNOON. -10
MARINE
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORIES REMAIN IN EFFECT FOR THE OUTER
WATERS UNTIL 5 PM TODAY DUE TO BOTH WINDS AND A CHOPPY SEAS STATE
WITH CONDITIONS JUST UNDER CRITERIA ACROSS THE INNER WATERS AND AT
THE COLUMBIA RIVER BAR. WINDS AND SEAS GRADUALLY SUBSIDE TONIGHT
INTO THURSDAY, WITH A TYPICAL SUMMERTIME PATTERN CONTINUING INTO
NEXT WEEK. SEAS AROUND 6-7 FEET AT 8 SECONDS SUBSIDE TONIGHT TO
AROUND 5 FEET AT 7-8 SECONDS. SEAS REMAIN MAINLY WIND DRIVEN
INTO NEXT WEEK. -19/99
FIRE WEATHER...TODAY THROUGH FRIDAY
OFFSHORE EASTERLY FLOW
IS GRADUALLY TURNING ONSHORE ACROSS THE CASCADES THIS AFTERNOON.
ELEVATED FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE STILL ANTICIPATED FOR MUCH OF
THE REGION, ESPECIALLY THE WESTERN COLUMBIA GORGE AND IN THE
CASCADES AND CASCADE FOOTHILLS FOR CONDITIONS NEAR CRITICAL
THRESHOLDS, ESPECIALLY AT RIDGE TOPS WHERE RELATIVE HUMIDITY VALUES
ARE EXPECTED TO FALL INTO THE UPPER TEENS TO MID-20S. ON THURSDAY WE
TRANSITION TO ONSHORE FLOW WHICH WILL BRING BREEZY WESTERLY WINDS IN
THE CENTRAL GORGE AND HOOD RIVER AREA, FURTHER INCREASING ON FRIDAY.
GIVEN CONDITIONS WILL STILL BE DRY, ELEVATED FIRE TO NEAR CRITICAL
WEATHER CONCERNS REMAIN IN PLACE HERE. DH/99
PQR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
OR...HEAT ADVISORY UNTIL 11 PM PDT THIS EVENING FOR ORZ104-105.
HEAT ADVISORY UNTIL 11 PM PDT THURSDAY FOR ORZ108>118.
WA...HEAT ADVISORY UNTIL 11 PM PDT THURSDAY FOR WAZ204>208.
PZ...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY UNTIL 5 PM PDT THIS AFTERNOON FOR
PZZ271>273.
WWW.WEATHER.GOV/PORTLAND
INTERACT WITH US VIA SOCIAL MEDIA:
WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/NWSPORTLAND
X.COM/NWSPORTLAND
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