Unusual

 

Very out-of-the-norm weather ahead for the next week.  Morning beverages should be hot.  What’s up?

 

The wonderful BBQ Day (Thu Apr 7) has now passed.  It will be awhile before that kind of day returns.  A relatively dry, but quite cold air mass, is now moving into the PNW.  Temperatures will drop rapidly behind the front.  There will be precip falling throughout the weekend, most of which will fall as SNOW down to 500-1,000 ft by later tomorrow.  The ground is warm, so lingering snow will not be likely.  Don’t be surprised to see a mix of rain/snow at your location.  It is extremely rare to have this type of cold pattern in April.  For portions of western OR, the latest measurable snow (0.1 inch) for Portland was March 25, 1965; Eugene April 11, 1911 (Weagle, Nat’l Wx Service).  A ‘measurable’ amount of The White west side is less than 30% likely - per some model output - but there is an outside chance within the next 72 hrs.  Sip on.

 

Well below normal temperatures this weekend.  A weak system on Sat may tease some rain/snow mixed at the surface, but the big question will be the track of a second potential Low moving onshore late Sunday/early Monday.  This storm may not only be cold enough for some snow/rain at the surface, but also become a relatively strong WIND PRODUCER, depending on which wx model solution verifies.  If the Low tracks onshore north of OR, wind will be strong across western OR; if it tracks farther south, less wind, but colder air impact for chance of snow showers down to 500 ft, or lower at times.  Patrons living in the foothills, coast range area or along the slopes of the Cascades above 500-1,000 ft may receive a few inches of snow.  

 

Next week: the unseasonable cold pattern holds, with variable low snow levels and showers on through Wed.  If the sky clears in your location, FROST will be a concern as early development on fruit crops will be quite vulnerable, esp Wed and Thu mornings.  Let’s hope there’s cloud cover.  (The frost we forecast several days ago for the Sacramento Valley area, CA did reportedly have a negative impact on almonds, tree fruits and, in some cases, specific grape varieties.) 

 

Unfortunately, Good Friday next week is also Tax Day in the US, with the chance for another cold front from the NW to arrive.  We’ll see.  Models do suggest that it may warm up and dry out a bit for Easter Sunday.  The week after Easter continues to chart as damp and unseasonably chilly.   

 

Bottom line: below normal temperatures are charting for much of the next 2 weeks.  Precipitation should trend as normal.  The Cascades will have significant additions to the 2022 snowpack.