112 FXUS66 KPQR 242100 AFDPQRArea Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Portland OR 200 PM PDT Wed Sep 24 2025
.SYNOPSIS...Cooler temperatures are expected Thursday as onshore flow strengthens. Another warming trend is expected over the weekend ahead of an approaching frontal system, which looks increasingly likely to bring rain to the region Sunday night into Monday. Conditions remain cool and showery thereafter.
&&
.SHORT TERM...Wednesday night through Saturday night...The short term forecast is highlighted by the continuation of dry weather with seasonable temperatures, except Saturday which is trending around five degrees above average for late September. Thursday morning will start off chilly with temperatures in the mid 40s to lower 50s and mostly clear skies. Abundant sunshine will allow temperatures to quickly warm into the low to mid 70s across the lowlands Thursday afternoon, except 60s at the coast. The HREF ensemble mean for cloud cover suggests high clouds will increase from the northwest during the late afternoon, after peak heating. High clouds should begin to dissipate Thursday night, setting the stage for radiational cooling given the calm winds in place at that time. As such, overnight lows will trend even cooler with lows mainly in the mid to upper 40s, except upper 30s to lower 40s in the Upper Hood River Valley. Currently not expecting frost formation, even in the Upper Hood River Valley, as the probability for lows of 36F or colder is less than 5%. This seems reasonable as the Upper Hood River Valley and central Columbia River Gorge will be the only locations with some wind during the overnight hours, out of the west around 5-15 mph. This should help limit how cold temperatures get and prevent frost formation. Note forecast lows Thursday night are the coolest of any day over the next seven days, so there are no signs of frost/freeze concerns at this time.
Despite the chilly morning temperatures on Friday, temperatures are expected to rebound nicely once again with highs in the mid 70s, except 60s at the coast. Temperatures will warm even more on Saturday, which will most likely be the warmest day for the foreseeable future with highs in the mid 70s to lower 80s. That said, there is a 10-25% chance highs only wind up in the low to mid 70s if excess cloud cover develops. Model soundings show varying degrees of high cloud cover, which may limit high temperatures if clouds are thick enough during peak heating hours. -TK
.LONG TERM...Sunday through Tuesday night...The long term forecast is highlighted by a transition to a cool and showery fall-like weather pattern. The exact timing for precipitation to move into the area is uncertain, as some model guidance suggests rain will begin as early as Sunday morning or afternoon, while other guidance holds off until Sunday night or Monday morning. That said, the vast majority of ensemble guidance (over 80%) currently favors the latter solution, keeping Sunday dry before the wet weather pattern takes hold Monday. Assuming this solution comes to fruition, expect another mild day on Sunday with high temperatures in the mid 70s, except low to mid 60s at the coast. That said, if excess cloud cover and rain moves in more quickly, high temperatures would likely top out in the 60s for both the coast and inland valleys.
Despite the precipitation and temperature uncertainty on Sunday, confidence is high for cool and wet conditions on Monday and Tuesday as nearly every ensemble member from the ENS/GEFS/GEPS shows QPF by that point, aside from a few dry GEFS members. NBM PoPs back this up well, showing a 70-75% chance from the coast to the Cascades on both days. Exact rain amounts are uncertain at this time, as ensemble guidance suggests amounts could range anywhere from a few hundredths of an inch to one inch. Will note the NBM suggests there is a 60-80% chance for 0.25 inches of rain or more on both Monday and Tuesday. -TK
&&
.AVIATION...High pressure over the region will maintain mostly clear skies and VFR conditions through tonight. Reduced visibility due to haze and mist along the coast will be possible again late tonight with periods of MVFR conditions into Thu morning. Winds increase out of the north and northwest this afternoon, strongest along the coast with gusts up to 20-25 kt.
KPDX AND APPROACHES...VFR under mostly clear skies. Northwest winds increase this afternoon, likely remaining below 10 kt. /DH
&&
.MARINE...High pressure offshore will maintain northerly breezes across the coastal waters through Thursday evening. The strongest winds are expected to persist through tonight with gusts up to 25-30 kt, with highest wind speeds from Cape Falcon southward. The pressure gradient slackens somewhat on Thursday, but guidance does suggest there is around a 60% chance of Small Craft Advisory wind gusts across the inner waters south of Cape Foulweather by Thursday afternoon. Elsewhere, gusts should remain 20 kt or less. Seas around 7 to 10 ft today are expected to subside to around 5 to 7 ft on Thursday.
Winds ease by Friday as surface high pressure is pushed south by a frontal system that is expected to stay to the north. This will likely bring a mid-period northwest swell into the waters Friday afternoon, building seas back up to around 7 to 9 ft at 14-15 seconds. Model guidance suggests the front stalls to the north on Saturday, before reinvigorating, approaching the coastal waters late this weekend. /Hartsock
&&
.PQR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
OR...None. WA...None. PZ...Small Craft Advisory until 5 AM PDT Thursday for PZZ251>253- 271>273. &&
$$
www.weather.gov/portland
Interact with us via social media: www.facebook.com/NWSPortland x.com/NWSPortland
NWS PQR Office Area Forecast Discussion