textproduct: Medford

AVIATION...24/00Z TAFs

Gusty north winds at the coast from Cape Blanco southward will diminish late this evening. They will develop again over a broader area of the coast for Friday afternoon and evening, from Florence to Pistol River.

Conditions will mainly remain VFR through Friday evening, but areas of MVFR/IFR conditions are expected late tonight into early Friday morning (around 08Z to 17Z) in the Coquille and Umpqua valleys, including Roseburg.

MARINE...Updated 530 PM PDT Thursday, April 23, 2026

Northwest swell will be at a peak this evening, producing steep seas north of Cape Blanco. Meanwhile, gusty north winds are also contributing to steep seas for Cape Blanco southward. Winds diminish near shore south of Pistol River early Friday. But, both steep seas and gusty north winds will continue through Friday night over the remainder of the waters. Winds and seas trend lower over the weekend.

No significant weather is expected early next week. Northerly winds will persist while a low northwest swell combines with a fresh, shorter period NNW swell. Steep seas could return around mid-week when there could be an uptick in northerly winds and an increasing northwest swell moves into the waters.

PREV DISCUSSION

/Issued 108 PM PDT Thu Apr 23 2026/

KEY MESSAGES...

-Warmer weather this afternoon and again Friday. -Patchy frost tonight in some typically colder west side valleys. -Isolated shower/t-storm, mainly south of the area late Friday afternoon/evening; otherwise, dry. -Shower coverage expands northward Saturday, mainly across NorCal. Also a slight chance of thunderstorms. -Shower chances continue Sunday/Monday, highest from the Cascades eastward, but more hit- or- miss west of the Cascades. -Activity shifts eastward Tuesday/Wednesday.

DISCUSSION...A blocking pattern over the eastern Pacific will make for only subtle changes in the weather over the next several days. Slightly higher heights (compared to recent days) will bring warmer weather this afternoon and again Friday afternoon with high temperatures above normal. Sandwiched in between, tonight will be chilly (a little bit chillier than last night) with less cloud- cover expected. However, patchy fog could form in some deeper valleys toward or around sunrise Friday. Coldest temperatures will be in the 32-36F range (for a couple of hours) in the typically colder portions of the Illinois/Applegate and even some of the Rogue/lower Klamath river valleys. So, while patchy frost could develop, it doesn't look widespread enough for a frost advisory. Later Friday afternoon/evening, some instability will develop in the mountains to our south with some afternoon cumulus here or there up here in Oregon. Models are showing about 10-15% PoPs near the Trinity Horn that juts northward into southern Siskiyou County. Suppose there could be just enough moisture for an isolated shower (perhaps even a thunderstorm), but we're not expecting widespread activity. Anything that does form will drift off to the east across SE Siskiyou County and into Modoc County Friday night (~15% chance of showers).

On Saturday, energy on the back side of a closed low over south- central Canada (Saskatchewan) will drop southward in northerly flow aloft into the PacNW. Meanwhile, mid-level moisture advection will increase into our area from a trough located off the central California coast. This will allow shower chances/coverage to expand across our area, but highest PoPs (40-60%) will be in NorCal during the afternoon/evening, where there is also a 15-20% chance of thunderstorms. 15% PoPs extend back to around the Cascades/Siskiyous, but are generally 10% or less for the west side. The upper trough will remain in place over the area Sunday into Monday with some uncertainty in just how fast the trough axis pushes eastward. This will bring low chances for showers (hit-or- miss variety) west of the Cascades with somewhat higher PoPs in northern California and from the Cascades eastward. Overall, temperatures into early next week will be near or just a bit above normal. This means highs generally 65-70F in Medford.

Shower chances diminish over the area Tue/Wed, though an upper trough will remain nearby with the strongest ridging located out around 130W. That ridge axis could move onto the West Coast by next Thu. -Spilde

MFR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES

OR...CA...None.

PACIFIC COASTAL WATERS...Small Craft Advisory until 5 AM PDT Saturday for PZZ350-356-370-376.