We’re entering the middle of August and there’s really nothing too exciting, extreme, or wild to report on. We could sure use a widespread soaking rain, but that’s just not in the cards at the moment.

Pretty typical summer weather continues for the foreseeable future. The one exception is this Wednesday as much cooler air rolls in. Cloud cover will likely hang around for much of the day with an increasing amount of sunbreaks late in the day. Could be a really nice evening as things clear up. Highs in the upper 70s. Sprinkles or light showers are possible along the coast, in the Coast Range, and in the northern Cascade foothills. Take a look at the rest of the extended forecast below.

Remember, the highlighting used at the top of the scale indicates how much confidence I have in the forecast for the day. Here’s the “key” for reference as it’s been awhile since I shared this one.

Next week (Tuesday and beyond) the forecast confidence really drops off more than usual for that range. Several small low pressures and upper level lows will be sort of meandering around. Even the most “accurate” forecasting models I use have been all over the place. Check out these three forecasts all for the same date early next Wednesday the 19th.

I’ve pointed out Oregon. The warmer colors generally indicate warm and sunny weather (probably mid 80s like today). The middle image shows us getting brushed by a storm moving in to our north. Most likely a cloudy and cool day with highs in the mid 70s – maybe even a few showers. The third image shows an upper level low southwest of Oregon sending up unstable moist air from the south. This scenario could lead to thunderstorms like we saw back in July. Tricky business trying to pick what will happen.

So instead of pretending to know, I’ll tell you to pay attention and look for a future update once I get a better idea of how this might play out. Just keep in mind we could see some sort of wet weather next week.

The Cascades

The Cascades will largely remain dry, but there’s a slight chance for a thunderstorm Friday evening and a higher chance for a few more storms on Saturday. Storms will remain confined to and east of the Cascades. No action expected in the Willamette Valley.

Have a safe and enjoyable rest of your week!