


Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Portland, OR
Issued by NWS Portland, OR
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840 FXUS66 KPQR 081814 AAB AFDPQR Area Forecast Discussion...UPDATE National Weather Service Portland OR 1114 AM PDT Wed Oct 8 2025 Updated Aviation discussion .SYNOPSIS...Cooler and cloudier weather returns today and continues through early next week. Low pressure system offshore will bring persistent chances for rainfall beginning as early as tonight for the coast and Cascades with chances increasing late Friday through the weekend as the system moves inland. && .DISCUSSION...Wednesday through Tuesday...There has been very little change to the forecast since the last forecast package. Satellite imagery early Wednesday morning shows marine stratus has returned to the coast due to the return of onshore flow behind the frontal passage. This stratus will likely push east into portions of the interior lowlands through Coast Range gaps through the morning hours as the front continues moving through western Washington and Oregon. It will dissipate along the coast by the early morning hours and inland by the afternoon. An upper level trough deepens off of the West Coast today, pinching off to form a closed upper low atop a deepening surface low centered west of the central Oregon coast by Thursday morning. Due to this, chances for rainfall will increase through the remainder of the workweek. There remains some uncertainty in the position of these vertically- stacked lows, which will affect when rainfall may begin across the region. At this time, there is a 30-40% chance rainfall may begin as early as Wednesday night along the coast and a 50-70% chance across the western slopes of the Cascades. Additionally, there`s a 30-50% chance for inland valley locales to see rain by Thursday evening, although these chances are sensitive to the position of the low. There is high confidence, 70-90% chances, in rainfall across the region by Friday afternoon and continuing through much of Sunday as consensus remains high that the broad area of low pressure will move inland and overhead through the weekend. For the period from 5 AM Friday through 5 AM Monday, a reasonable low-end rainfall accumulation, or the rainfall amount with a 75% chance of exceedance, is 0.55-0.75" along the I-5 corridor, and 0.75-1.5" along the coast and in the higher terrain of the Coast Range and Cascades. Conversely, the reasonable high-end accumulation (25% probability of exceedance) is 1.3-1.75" along the I-5 Corridor and 1.5-3.5" along the coast and in the higher terrain of the Coast Range and Cascades. Or in an alternative frame, the chances of exceeding 0.5" and 1" of rainfall in the 72-hour period are, respectively, 80-90% and 45-60% along the I-5 corridor, and 90-100% and 75-90% along the coast and in the higher terrain of the Coast Range and Cascades. Ensemble guidance indicates upper level troughing will continue across the region Monday. Shower chances continue, though decrease during the day, with highest chances (60-80%) over the Cascades. By Tuesday, significant uncertainty returns to ensemble guidance on the location of the upper level low. About a 15-40% chance of showers continue through Tuesday, again with highest chances over the Cascades. Temperatures will continue to trend cooler across the region into the weekend, with the snow level falling to 4500-5000 ft by Sunday morning and remaining low through Monday. This will allow snow to accumulate in the High Cascades, though only light and minimally- impactful accumulations are expected at pass level at this time through Monday. Frost Advisories may need to be issued in the Upper Hood River Valley as well as valleys within the Cascades and Coast Range as overnight lows are expected to fall into the 30s through the weekend. Elsewhere, temperatures will remain cool with daytime highs in the 50s and 60s and overnight lows in the 40s. -36/03 && .AVIATION...Increasing southwest flow aloft as an upper level trough drops south just offshore. Lower stratus producing MVFR conditions across the southern Willamette Valley this morning expected to lift by 20Z this afternoon. Elsewhere VFR conditions expected to persist through the period. Showers are likely to develop over the Cascades later this evening after 06z Thursday, with lower chances of rain, generally less than 40%, spreading into the Willamette Valley as well as at the coast. Northwest winds less than 10 kts across the area will persist through this evening, becoming ESE after 08z Thu. KPDX AND APPROACHES...VFR conditions with scattered to broken mid-level clouds expected through the period. There is a 30-40% chance of rain showers between 06-12z Thu. Northwest winds around 5 kt expected through this evening. /02 && .MARINE...Buoy reports this morning are showing wave heights of around 7 to 9 ft with a period of 7-9 seconds. Guidance suggests these seas are likely to continue into early afternoon. Therefore, have issued a Small Craft Advisory for all coastal waters through 2 PM PDT for steep and choppy seas. Northerly winds will continue to ease today, falling to 10 kt or less this afternoon. An area of weak low pressure will approach the coastal waters from the north today. Northerly winds become variable overnight as the surface low continues to drop south. The surface low becomes more organized off the southern Oregon coast on Thursday as winds turn more offshore Thursday into Friday. Winds expected to remain less than 20 kts. Seas are likely to linger around 5 to 7 ft through the end of the week. Still some uncertainty where the surface low ends up by Friday, but will likely push inland by Saturday with winds becoming northwesterly and breezy. Another weak low pressure system approaches the coastal waters from the north late Sunday. /02 && .PQR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... OR...None. WA...None. PZ...Small Craft Advisory from 4 PM this afternoon to 8 PM PDT this evening for PZZ210. Small Craft Advisory until 2 PM PDT this afternoon for PZZ251>253-271>273. && $$ www.weather.gov/portland Interact with us via social media: www.facebook.com/NWSPortland x.com/NWSPortland