[willamette-fcst] Willamette Valley Ag Weather Forecast

[Willamette Valley Ag/Burning Forecast]

Oregon Department of Agriculture
Smoke Management Program
Weather Outlook and Field Burning Advisory for Willamette 
Valley Growers and Fire Districts.

...There will be no noon update today...

Issued:
      Wednesday, October 14th, 2009 at 9:00am.

Burn Advisory:
      Agricultural burning is allowed.  Suggested burn 
times are from now until 4:30pm.
      Straw stack burning is allowed, for dry stacks, from 
11:00am until 4:30pm.

Weather Discussion:
      A strong low-pressure center was moving north, about 
150
      miles off the northern Washington Coast, at 
mid-morning.  An
      associated frontal system brought dumped from 
one-quarter to
      about one-half inch of rain across the Willamette 
Valley
      overnight and was moving into central Oregon at 
mid-morning.

      Strong southerly pressure gradients were bringing 
brisk
      southerly winds to most of western Oregon.  The 
strongest
      winds were along the coast and in the coastal range. 
 South
      winds gusted to 60 mph along the central Oregon 
Coast
      earlier this morning, in the Newport area, with 
gusts in
      excess of 40 mph extending northward to Astoria.  Mt 
Hebo,
      in the north coast range, recorded gusts to 68 mph. 
 Winds
      were still gusting to between 40 and 50 mph from the 
coast
      to the coast range at mid-morning.

      Southerly winds were not as strong in the Willamette 
Valley
      this morning, but gusts between 20 and 30 mph were 
common.
      The southerly winds were helping scour the cold air 
from the
      Willamette Valley, with mid morning temperatures 
generally
      as warm as Tuesday's highs (mid 50s).  Easterly 
outflow,
      from the Columbia Gorge, is keeping the immediate 
Portland
      area in the upper 40s and low 50s.

      Satellite imagery and Doppler Radar showed the main
      rain-bands moving well east of the valley and into 
central
      Oregon, where temperatures finally have warmed above
      freezing.  After getting freezing rain, off and on 
during
      the day Tuesday, Redmond finally picked up a 
southerly wind
      this morning, around 5am, and their temperature 
jumped from
      near freezing into the mid 40s, with plain old rain. 
 The
      southerly winds and bands of rain will progress 
eastward
      across Oregon today, along with moderating 
temperatures.

      A strong onshore flow will continue to circulate 
clouds and
      showers inland across western Oregon today, along 
with some
      sunbreaks.  After hitting highs only in the mid 50s 
Tuesday,
      warming southerly winds will help Willamette Valley 
temperatures
      climb into the low 60s this afternoon.  Amazingly, 
snow fell in
      the Columbia Gorge Tuesday...possibly the earliest 
snowfall on
      record for some locations.  Who knows what that 
means for this
      winter, but October, 2009 has seen some rare weather 
events.

Surface Winds:
      S 10-20 G30 this morning, SSW 7-15 G25 this 
afternoon.
Transport Winds:
      SSW 30 this morning, SSW 30 this afternoon.
Atmospheric Ventilation Conditions:
      Maximum mixing height today will be near 3000 feet. 
 Ventilation index 90.
High Temperature:
      Salem's high temperature today will be near 61.
Humidities:
      Minimum relative humidity will be near 60%.
Sunrise/Sunset:
      Salem sunset tonight: 6:28pm; sunrise tomorrow: 
7:28am.

Extended Outlook:
      A warm front will likely bring some light rain to 
mainly
      northwestern Oregon Thursday, with the snow level 
lifting
      above 8000 feet in the Cascades. A transitory ridge 
will
      bring brief drying and warming late Thursday and 
Friday.  A
      cold front is forecast to swing onshore Friday 
evening.
      Southwesterly flow aloft will direct the bulk of the 
rain
      from that system into southern British Columbia and 
Western
      Washington, but the entire Willamette Valley should 
pick up
      at least some rain.

      A few showers could linger into Sunday with yet 
another
      weather system forecast to come onshore Sunday night 
and
      Monday.  It appears as if a transitory ridge may 
bring some
      drying and warming next Tuesday and Wednesday.

Tomorrow (15 Oct):  Mostly Cloudy.  Light Rain Likely 
North...Chance of Rain South. 51/65

Fri (16 Oct):  Mostly Cloudy but Warmer.  Chance of Rain 
Late.  50/70

Sat (17 Oct):  Rain Turning to Showers.  53/63

Sun (18 Oct):  Mostly Cloudy.  Chance of Showers. 
 Increasing Rain Late.  47/62

Mon (19 Oct):  Rain Turning to Showers.  49/60

Tue (20 Oct):  Areas of AM Fog...Becoming Partly Sunny. 
 45/66

Wed (21 Oct):  Areas of AM Fog.  Partly Sunny.  Increasing 
Clouds Late.  44/66

ODA Meteorologist
weather at oda.state.or.us