Meteorologist Payton Major

When is our last 90 degree day?

Odds are, it was back on August 25 at PDX! In the past 9 years, we've only had two days at/above 90 degrees after mid-September.

Thursday will be pretty warm, though! There's a good chance we get into the mid/upper 80s in the Portland metro.

Dry Monday, A few showers Tuesday

Monday will be sunnier, but still cooler than normal. We'll start with a few clouds in the morning and possibly a sprinkle or two at the coast. Highs will be in the low 70s.

New model data shows a cutoff low "splitting" from the jet stream right over the PNW Tuesday. This will bring a few showers, primarily in the afternoon and clouds that last throughout the day.

This will likely be our coolest and cloudiest day this week with highs in the mid-60s.

4:30PM RADAR UPDATE + SUNDAY FORECAST

Here comes the showers! We're tracking waves of scattered showers throughout the evening tonight. There could be an occasional downpour or quick-moving thunderstorm, but I have only seen a couple lightning strikes in the Washington Cascades.

Early tomorrow morning will start off mainly dry, besides a few showers at the coast, in the mountains and south of Corvallis. Mid-morning, light to moderate rain takes over through the early part of the afternoon. Showers should taper off just in time for the Portland Thorns game at 4pm. The evening will be dry and mostly cloudy with highs in the mid-60s again.

Throughout the weekend, most locations will get less than 1/4". There could be locally higher amounts at the coast or within downpours.

East of the Cascades, we're expecting a windy day! Westerly gusts could be as strong as 40mph in the eastern Gorge and 30mph in central/eastern OR.

This weekend, Debra Gil wraps up her incredible career! I’m so glad we got the chance to wake up early together. You deserve to relax, travel, have fun & sleep in! You earned this 🙂 Congrats on retirement, Deb!

UPDATE: The first half of the day Saturday is looking dry. Scattered downpours, thunderstorms or small hail are possible in afternoon/evening though.

A BATTLE OF THE MODELS...🤜🤛

We got some model disagreement on how much rain we'll get Saturday!

A quick-moving system brings frequent showers + a cooler weekend. Saturday is the only "wet" day of the next seven.

We're still trying to figure out how much rain we're expecting... The European model wants to give us 1/3-1/2" inland... Whereas the GFS model is much drier... We'll continue to monitor this closely!

⚠️SIX YEARS SINCE SEPT. 2020 WILDFIRES

Six years ago this week, a series of large wildfires broke out over eastern Washington and western Oregon. The dense smoke, carried by easterly wind, covered the Willamette Valley and produced widespread hazardous air quality levels. This period was some of the worst air quality on record for the region.

About 1 million acres were burned in one week across Oregon. This includes 11% of the Cascades and over 1,300 homes.

High temperatures jump about ten degrees tomorrow as high pressure settles in for the next few days.

TUESDAY: Mostly sunny besides a few A.M. clouds. Highs near 80 degrees.

WEDNESDAY: Warmest day. Highs in the mid/upper 80s under sunny skies.

THURSDAY: Occasional high clouds. Highs in the mid 70s.

This morning was a little wetter than we expected, but more rain sure is a good thing this time of year! The same area of low pressure that has brought us rain since last Wednesday gave us a "last hurrah" before finally moving eastward later tonight.

The Salem airport picked up over 1/2" today alone, which makes their September rainfall totals over 1.50" already! Troutdale got 1/3" and McMinnville was just shy of 0.30".

There's a chance we could have a few thunderstorms this evening, especially in areas where skies are partially clearing. While storms won't be severe, they could produce localized heavy rain and/or small hail. Shower chances taper off after midnight. Lows will be in the 50s.

Funnel cloud observed in Sheridan Friday☁️

A cold air funnel cloud was observed Friday around 5:00p.m. near Sheridan, OR. There are no reports of damage.

Cold air funnels are relatively common in the spring and fall months. Rarely do they touch the ground, producing a tornado.

Photos: Mary Wilder, Jessica Hyde
Video: Stacey Bissonette