textproduct: Portland

SYNOPSIS

Active weather continues with valley rain and mountain snow through the middle of next week. Gusty east winds and accumulating pass-level snow in the Cascades continues into tonight, but impacts are expected to be limited. A more robust frontal system affecting the region late Sunday through Tuesday will bring additional widespread rain and low chances for river flooding. The pattern trend drier late next week.

LONG TERM...Wednesday through Saturday

As the trough finally ejects eastward by midweek, a more zonal pattern is favored to develop through the long term period. While the potential for a shortwave arriving from the northwest maintains low to moderate chances for rain (30-50%) late next week, largely drier weather is more likely from Wednesday into the weekend as low-amplitude ridging attempts to build. Temperatures look to remain near seasonal norms for late February. -36

AVIATION

Expect mostly VFR conditions at all terminals as a warm-frontal boundary weakens and moves north through the airspace. Expect remaining rain inland to decrease through this afternoon, completely ending throughout the airspace by 00Z Sunday. Coastal sites will hold onto rain a bit longer, with rain in KAST through most of the TAF period, although mostly light showers after 00-03Z Sunday. Expect easterly winds with gusts up to 30 kt in the western end of the Columbia River Gorge (KTTD eastward) this afternoon and evening. Rain will return to most terminals around 09-12Z Sunday (earliest along the coast), bringing a 30-50% chance of MVFR conditions to terminals.

KPDX AND APPROACHES...Expect VFR conditions through most of the TAF period. Expect east-southeasterly winds with gusts around 25-30 knots east of KPDX toward KTTD through most of the TAF period, possibly weakening by 15-18Z Sunday. Rain has mostly diminished/ended for the terminal, although vicinity showers could persist until 00Z Sunday. Expect another system to bring rain to the terminal by 12Z Sunday, bringing a 30-50% chance of MVFR conditions. ~12

MARINE

Seas continue to build this afternoon as a weather system moves through the region, bringing strong winds and increasing seas for today and early Sunday. Buoy 46089 continues to see wind gusts between 40-45 kt and will see gusts up to 50-55 kt as the main body of the system moves through the outer waters south of Cape Falcon this evening and into Sunday morning. While the outer waters north of Cape Falcon could see isolated gusts up to 50 kt tonight through very early Sunday morning, winds across the inner water will be comparatively lighter, with gusts around 25-35 kt. Seas will peak tonight/Sunday morning in the upper teens for the inner waters and 20-24 ft for the outer waters as a fresh southerly swell arrives. There is a 10% chance for significant wave heights to exceed 19 ft for Buoy 46029 between 3-8 AM Sunday. Sunday morning, winds and seas will slowly subside, with wind gusts below 25 kt and seas below 15 ft expected by Sunday night. Conditions will continue to improve, with seas dropping to around 5-7 ft by the middle of the week. Toward the end of the week, a WSW swell will push seas to or above 10 ft. ~12/99

PQR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES

OR...Winter Weather Advisory until 10 PM PST this evening for ORZ121-126.

WA...Winter Weather Advisory until 10 PM PST this evening for WAZ211.

PZ...Hazardous Seas Warning until 4 AM PST Monday for PZZ210- 251>253.

Gale Warning until 10 AM PST Sunday for PZZ271.

Hazardous Seas Warning from 10 AM Sunday to 4 AM PST Monday for PZZ271>273.

Storm Warning until 10 AM PST Sunday for PZZ272-273.