Warm and sunny pattern to break down, Pacific Northwest returning to cool rain

Tuesday is likely to be the warmest day of this weather pattern for the Columbia Basin with the Tri-Cities reaching into the upper-70s (26°C). Temperatures in some areas west of the Cascades peaked on Monday. Portland recorded a high of 77°F (25°C), a new record for March 18, while Seattle peaked a few days ago. […]

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Portland gets first high above 70°F for 2024

Friday brought Portland’s first afternoon with temperatures above 70°F (21°C) for 2024 with a high of 71°F (22°C) at Portland International Airport. Numerous other stations throughout lowland areas of Western Oregon and parts of Western Washington also achieved 70°, though the Puget Sound Region missed out. This comes as a ridge of high pressure builds […]

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Strong ridge to develop over the Northwest, sunny skies and warm temps forecast

Leftover moisture and cold air aloft will be enough for scattered showers and isolated t-storms throughout the Pacific Northwest on Tuesday. These storms will be more widespread along and west of the Cascades and some may produce small hail and/or graupel. The Columbia Gorge, Hermiston, and the Tri-Cities will be breezy Tuesday into Wednesday as […]

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Third cold front in a row to pass through Pacific Northwest on Monday

The third system in a train that started late last week is forecast to reach the Pacific Northwest during the day Monday. High clouds from this are already reaching the Interstate 5 corridor as of 07:00. Rainfall totals through Tuesday reaching half an inch (10 mm) are forecast for Portland, Seattle, and Vancouver with higher […]

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Next train of storms approaches Pacific Northwest, rain and mountain snow this weekend

Much of the Northwest is enjoying a break in precipitation after persistent regional storms and post-frontal showers. A low pressure system heading for Alaska will bring that to an end from north to south with the first of several cold fronts moving in. Rain and mountain snow from this begins during the day Thursday for […]

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Pacific Northwest snowpack improves at the start of March after week of snow

A prolonged pattern of upper level troughing and repeated regional storm systems have added quite a bit of snow to mountains of the Pacific Northwest over the past week. As of the end of the day on March 4, the snow-water equivalent (SWE) value for the Northwest was 88% of the median for this time […]

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NWS Portland updating how, where they issue weather alerts

On March 5, 2024, the National Weather Service office in Portland is issuing an update to the geography of their public forecast zones. These are the preset boundaries they use to issue a number of their weather alerts, including those for snow, freezing rain, wind, and fog. This update is for Portland’s county warning area […]

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Flow turning NW’ly for Pacific Northwest bringing cooler temps & mountain snow

Seasonally warm temperatures being observed in the Pacific Northwest Friday and Saturday will draw to a close on Sunday when an upper level trough is forecast to turn the upper level wind pattern more northwesterly over the region. As a result, cooler air sourced from the Gulf of Alaska will come in for a return […]

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Warmup coming to Portland and WIllamette Valley after freezing rain Tuesday night

Ice accumulation on tree branches. (Laslovarga/Wikimedia Commons)

Temperatures in Northwest Oregon and Southwest Washington remained below freezing Sunday after a cold front and low pressure system brought snow and damaging winds to the region. Oregon Public Broadcasting reports that three people died in the Portland metro area as a result of cold temperatures and falling trees. Over 200,000 customers are reported by […]

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Winter storm weekend for Portland metro and Willamette Valley

Arctic air diving south out of Canada on Friday and a low pressure system making landfall on the Oregon Coast Saturday will create a dynamic weather pattern through the weekend in the Pacific Northwest. As a result, numerous winter weather alerts from the National Weather Service have been posted for Western Oregon and Southwest Washington […]

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