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!

This week has gone pretty much as planned with showers today and continuing through tomorrow. Here’s a quick look at what you can expect now through Sunday.

• Today & Saturday will both be active days around here. Sunbreaks, lot of available moisture, and very cold air aloft (up in the atmosphere) will combine to give us a threat of a few thundershowers, downpours, and hail. Some of the showers could contain a lot of hail, so be careful if you are caught out on the road when one of these showers hits. This satellite pic from around 10:45AM shows a nice swirl of clouds and bands of heavy showers rotating towards Oregon. This will be our weather pattern through Saturday evening.

• Snow levels are around 2000 – 2500′ with 5 to 10 inches of new snow falling in the Cascades through Saturday night. Expect snowy passes Monday, Wednesday and Thursday of Spring break.

• Sunday will be the driest day this weekend with rain moving in sometime after roughly 3PM.

Spring Break

What everyone wants to know is which days are going to be nice and dry for outdoor activities, and which days are going to be wet. Fortunately, this guy right here has you covered! 😉

1.) Our mostly wet days will be Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday. These days will all have dry times mixed in between the showers, but overall expect these days to be wet.

2.) Now for the dry days! Tuesday, Friday, and next Saturday, & Sunday all look nice and dry!!! 🙂 🙂 So we should finally see a completely dry weekend around here!

There you have it. Stay safe, try to stay dry, and have fun out there!

Quick update on this Sunday afternoon.

The forecast is still on track with a cold front moving through right now. Salem recorded a temp of 50° at 1PM and that will end up being our high for the day as colder air is already moving in from the northwest. You can see where temps stand as of 3PM with the coast being colder than central Oregon at the moment.

Snow levels drop down to 1000′ – maybe a little bit lower on the east side of the valley tonight as even colder air works its way down from the NW. Scenarios like this occasionally lead to “lower than expected” snow levels in east valley & foothill locations. Any lower than expected snowfall will be very short lived and minor, but don’t be shocked if you see a few slushy flakes mixed in tonight with the showers.

Monday should be a mostly dry day with just a few afternoon showers of rain, hail, and maybe some graupel. Graupel is really nothing more than a mixture of snow and ice pellets. Expect some of the showers to be rather heavy.

Nice dry and sunny weather looks like a lock for Tuesday and Wednesday before rain returns on Thursday through much of next weekend.

The Cascades

Passes turn snowy within the next hour and will stay fairly snowy through Monday morning with 3 to 6 inches of new snow. Santiam Pass has cooled 6 degrees within the last hour!

By Monday afternoon roads should be bare/wet as the increased energy from the March sun warms pavement up nicely this time of year.

Have a fantastic rest of your Sunday!!