First off, today has been a great example of what “a mostly dry day” looks like. In my previous forecast I mentioned we would likely see some drizzle or a few sprinkles and to not cancel your outdoor plans, and nothing more than a few sprinkles is exactly what has happened today. Nice to see a forecast come through 🙂

Moving on I’ve noticed some really good trends in the forecast lately. Just two days ago it was looking like sprinkles would be about the best we could hope for in the coming week, but now it appears as though we will pick up much more than that.

Extended Forecast

Highlights

1.) Big changes in Sunday’s forecast with this storm system coming in just south enough now to clip Salem. Expect more rain further north in the Portland area while Eugene and points south should remain basically dry. Right here in Salem be on the lookout for some heavy afternoon showers along with gusty winds. Gusts over 30mph are possible. Don’t be shocked to hear some thunder with the showers either.

2.) Monday: Lots of clouds, a few sunbreaks, but really nothing more than a few sprinkles at most. Basically dry.

3.) Tuesday & Wednesday. Partly cloudy with PM showers. Showers will favor the coast, Coast Range, and the Cascades. Slight chance for a thunderstorm or two. Because the showers will be scattered in nature, there’s a chance some of you stay mostly dry these two days while others experience a brief soaking.

4.) Thursday: Partly sunny and dry. The best day of the week to be outdoors – assuming you wish to stay dry lol 😉

5.) Friday: Periods of light rain.

6.) Next weekend: Lower confidence, but as of right now, both Saturday and Sunday feature a decent chance of seeing frequent showers, and depending on the track of this system, maybe a few thunderstorms too.

Overall the forecast has trended quite a bit wetter for both tomorrow and much of next week. The map below shows the forecasted total precip now through next Sunday.

Basically if this materializes everyone here in the valley should pick up at least an inch of rain over the next 8 days with more in the mountains and along the coast. Even central and eastern Oregon should get in on the action with rain expected over there as well. This is really good news for our drought conditions, and we need it! Below is an up to date version of the map I shared a few days ago. It shows total rainfall in inches here in Salem since March 1st versus the total we should be at.

This shows we are the better part of 5 inches below normal. So yes, we do need the rain!

On a side note, one of the primary radars used to detect rain in western Oregon is down for repairs until at least Thursday. This means the little rain maps on the apps you use and some of their hour by hour forecasts may not be as accurate as usual. Just fyi and something to keep in mind. With the increase in active weather I will likely have additional updates for you in the coming days as things change.

I hope you all are having a wonderful weekend! Stay safe!