Turning Point

 

ALERT:  Strong Oregon storm coming.  Hold on to your Mug.

 

Chilly, dry weather will transition to wet & blustery conditions this weekend.  For Patrons in western OR and SW WA, double-check all items outside to be sure they won’t blow around / hit your home and/or vehicles.  A strong WIND EVENT - for this time of year -  is likely overnight Sat into early Sunday.  Wet, too.  Wind gusts may top 40-50 mph in the Willamette Valley, esp south of Salem.  This storm will also mark a turning point in the large scale weather pattern across the PNW.  

 

Next week looks quite wet on Monday and Friday, with showery conditions in between; generally a tad warmer too, esp overnight.  Excluding the far NW corner of WA & Vancouver Island, St Patty’s Day may end up the driest day of the week (yes, yet another Luck of the Irish shift in the forecast).  

There are several indications that starting with a WET system on Friday March 18, the PNW may experience precipitation EACH DAY on through at least March 28.  Some of that moisture may occur overnight, but overall, the amount of lowland rainfall for the period from this Sunday through March 28 could range 4”-8”; higher amounts along the slopes of the coast & Cascade ranges.  Yikes - a Spring drenching.  This long-range outlook could change, but for now, work on those outdoor projects as best you can between now and the 18th.  The added day length will help.  

 

Lastly, localized power outages are probable this weekend, right about the time we are to set our clocks forward.  Keep that in mind.