Heavy precipitation is forecast from today into the weekend for our area. The big questions will be if it changes from snow to rain, how warm it will get, and whether rain will continue into Monday. The Pendleton Weather Office issued a hydrological outlook for possible small stream flooding in the Blue Mountains (Walla Walla area).
Though the NW River Forecast Center did not show much "river rise" in the forecast today, we recommend checking again as we get closer to the weekend.
Those living in flood prone areas should follow the weather reports, and keep an eye on the creek or river conditions local to their area.
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Links:
River Forecast Center, http://www.nwrfc.noaa.gov/ - also the “Discussion” link now includes maps with temperature and precipitation forecasts.
Pendleton NWS Office, http://newweb.wrh.noaa.gov/pdt/
Bureau of Reclamation Yakima Status, http://www.usbr.gov/pn/hydromet/yakima/yakstats.txt
Long term forecast from the Pendleton NWS Office:
.LONG TERM...THURSDAY THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT...THE MAIN FORECAST
CONCERN WITH THE EARLY PART OF THE EXTENDED IS THE HIGH SNOW LEVELS
AND THE HEAVY RAIN POTENTIAL. A VERY MOIST SYSTEM WILL CONTINUE TO
MOVE THROUGH THE AREA ON THURSDAY. SNOW LEVELS WILL ALSO BE ON THE
RISE WITH MOST OF THE AREA RECEIVING RAIN WITH THIS SYSTEM.
PRECIPITATION TOTALS OF AROUND AN INCH ARE POSSIBLE ALONG THE
CASCADE CREST AND AROUND A HALF INCH OF ADDITIONAL PRECIPITATION ON
THURSDAY FOR THE BLUE MOUNTAINS. WILL NEED TO MONITOR THE SITUATION
FOR RISES IN THE LOCAL RIVERS. THE RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE OFF THE
WEST COAST WILL THEN BUILD NORTHWARD...PUSHING THE MOISTURE STREAM
NORTH INTO MAINLY WASHINGTON BY FRIDAY. THERE IS UNCERTAINTY HOWEVER
IN HOW FAR NORTH THE MOISTURE WILL BE PUSHED...THEREFORE HAVE LEFT A
CHANCE OF PRECIPITATION ACROSS PORTIONS OF OREGON WITH THE BETTER
CHANCE FOR THE NORTHEAST MOUNTAINS (UNDER UPSLOPE FLOW) AND IN
WASHINGTON WHERE THE BAND OF MOISTURE WILL BE LOCATED. BY FRIDAY
NIGHT...ANOTHER DISTURBANCE WILL MOVE THROUGH THE NORTHWESTERLY
FLOW...BRINGING A ROUND OF RAIN FOR THE ENTIRE REGION. SNOW LEVELS
WILL REMAIN 5000-6000 FEET INTO THE WEEKEND. PRECIPITATION WILL
REMAIN POSSIBLE ON SATURDAY...BUT THE NEXT DISTURBANCE WILL PUSH
THROUGH THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST SATURDAY NIGHT FOR AN INCREASED THREAT
OF RAIN AND HIGH ELEVATION RAIN AND SNOW. DMH
SUNDAY THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT...MODELS CONTINUE TO INDICATE WIDESPREAD
MOISTURE ACROSS THE INTERIOR PACIFIC NORTHWEST. AND ALTHOUGH IT IS
TOO SOON TO TELL...MODELS ARE BEGINNING TO INDICATE A FAVORABLE
PATTERN FOR DOWNSLOPE WINDS. SINCE WIND DRIVEN EVENTS DON`T USUALLY
HAVE HIGH CONCENTRATIONS OF PRECIPITATION...THIS PRESENTS A
CHALLENGE FOR POPS. AS IT STANDS HAVE KEPT POPS IN THE LIKELY
CATEGORY FOR THE EAST SLOPES OF THE CASCADES AND CHANCE TO LIKELY
ALONG THE MOUNTAINS OF NORTHEAST OREGON. THE LOWER ELEVATIONS HAVE
BEEN REDUCED 20 TO 30 POPS SINCE THAT IS THE AREA MOST LIKELY TO SEE
WIND AND LITTLE TO NO RAIN. RIGHT NOW THE BEST CHANCE FOR STRONG
WINDS LOOKS TO BE MONDAY AFTERNOON BUT THIS COULD CHANGE FROM DAY TO
DAY. HIGH TEMPERATURES CONTINUE TO LOOK WELL ABOVE FREEZING FOR THE
EXTENDED AND MAY EVEN REACH THE LOWER 50S ACROSS THE FOOTHILLS AND
THE LOWER COLUMBIA BASIN...AS STRONG SOUTHERLY WIND KEEPS WARM AIR
ADVECTION OVER THE AREAS. WEBER
