Going Warm

 

The final month of Summer is nearing an end.  What about the long dry spell?  Let’s take a look.

 

First, the week ahead will be on the HOT side early, then temperatures will cool off a bit as the week ends and the long holiday weekend begins.  Hottest day likely to be Tue or Wed; upper 90s Willamette Valley area, close to 90 around the Sound.  The heat ridge will shift farther east by Thu, allowing an onshore flow to begin to decrease the afternoon heat.  There will be changes over the Gulf of Alaska (broad Low pressure trough filling the ’space’) as the holiday weekend unfolds.  The resultant wx will be cooler over the most of western WA, with spotty cloudiness, at times, less so over OR and to the east.  Should remain rather warm into ID.  It will be rather cool on Labor Day, with a shower possible north of Chehalis.  Breezy, esp east of the Cascades.

 

Post Labor Day pattern is looking to warm up again, approaching on the hot side for southern OR by Wed the 7th.  Models have been quite inconsistent as to the conditions that week, so expect adjustments.  Early on there was a wet pattern on the charts, but that has drifted into the ’not-so-likely’ realm.  A southerly flow aloft around Thu & Fri Sep 8,9 could usher in east slope mountain thunderstorms.  

 

The charts indicate the possibility for RAIN sometime in the Sep 10-13 period.  Maybe.  We’ll keep an eye on this, as the region could use the precipitation.  The pacific High may nudge back closer to the PNW coast, which would block precip after the 14th for several days.  We’ll see.