PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – Testy conditions on Tuesday with dry winds coming in from the northeast leading to some dusty skies around the lower Columbia Basin. It’s a similar story on Wednesday, however, the wind may be slightly weaker.
I would count on breezy conditions on and off through the week until the temperatures become more uniform later in the week. I want to point out in the graphic below that there is a fairly strict contrast with the daytime temperature from The Dalles to Bend. High temperatures in the 60s off the Columbia River, while down south in Deschutes County the high temperature will be closer to 50.
An upper-level low will be setting up to the southeast and that will lead to some cooler temperatures in that region. This will all change as that ridge of high pressure shifts to the east and warms us up by late week. Sustained wind speeds coming out of the north northeast tomorrow around Portland around 10-15 mph. The strongest wind again will be to the east.
Check out some of the gusts in the early morning hours of Wednesday. The higher elevations of the Cascades that are more exposed will see the strongest of the wind. Not as windy as Tuesday, but noticeable wind — and it will likely be windy again on Thursday too. That’s why many are requesting we refrain from backyard burning at this time until conditions return to normal. It is unseasonably warm and dry right now. Heading out the door Wednesday, you can count on those two things in the valley.
Check out the temperatures as the weekend approaches!
Weather models are projecting near 80 degrees on Friday and then getting that extra boost on both Saturday and Sunday. It may be closer to 70 degrees Wednesday in Portland, but it’s likely that we do not get the bump to 70 until Thursday.
From that point on we are flourishing, with highs 20 degrees above average and potentially breaking a record by the weekend.
If you want to make some plans now for the weekend, be prepared for some busy spots with a lot of people trying to take advantage of the weather. I want to show you the extended trend which takes us through the remainder of the month. Conditions are up and down like a true spring roller coaster. Will those cooler days bring us rain? Let’s hope so.
This is what the weather pattern will look like by the end of the week. Right now that green batch to the southeast is over areas of Oregon and will eventually leave the area by Friday.
With that colder air over us right now, that is why parts of Oregon is cooler and we have this wind generating around here. This warm and dry weather is impacting every up and down along the West Coast and into Canada.
We definitely need to talk about river temperatures before we wrap up this blog.
If you are making plans for the 80-degree weather coming. Please know that the river temperatures are still very cold. Temperature will be in the mid 40s and at best the mid 50s. That cold water can create dangerous conditions for folks that want to be in the water without the proper gear. Please take this into consideration as you make your plans today for later in the week.
