Valley Fog Returns Tonight, Quick Shot of Rain Coming Saturday

Good afternoon! Boy has it been a beautiful day along the coast, in the mountains & across central & eastern Oregon! It’s been a different story in our western valleys as clouds have been very stubborn to clear out. As I write this discussion around 2:30 P.M., clouds are finally clearing in the northern Willamette Valley. Other areas should gradually clear out heading into the evening. Considering many of us will have clear skies and light winds tonight, more valley fog should form by midnight & early Saturday. Be prepared for lower visibility up & down the I-5 corridor.

A fast-moving cold front will bring a round of a rain & mountain snow on Saturday. Rain will arrive to the coast around mid-morning, and will spread into our western valleys around late morning – midday. Temperatures will be hovering in the 30s as precipitation arrives, so some of us could see a brief wintry mix before precip. switches to rain. The best chance for that will be in our local hills. Something similar should happen in the Gorge too. Precipitation should only fall for 2-3 hours. It’ll be all snow in the Cascades, with snow arriving around midday. Our snow level will start off near 4,000 feet, but should sink to about 2,000-2,500 feet toward the end of the day. Expect about 2-4 inches of new snow through the evening.

A weak shortwave will pass through overnight, bringing another round of scattered showers to the region. Most of that should be out of here by sunrise Sunday, leaving us with a mainly dry day west of the Cascades. However, snow showers will continue on & off above 1,500. The ski resorts should end the weekend with about 5-8 inches of new snow.

A ridge of high pressure will expand over the West Coast next week. This will force any weather systems to the north of the Pacific Northwest. Conditions will be prime for valley inversions each night, leading to low clouds and areas of fog. Highs will range between the 40s and low 50s, with overnight lows in the upper 20s and 30s.

Have a great weekend!

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