The Weather Cafe ® by Rufus

Written by Rufus La Lone since 1994.

A Late August Heat Wave ??

Posted by Rufus La Lone on

Monday August 15
 
Several dog days of summer on the way.  We can always expect a variation in the weather outlook, so read on for the latest adjustment.
 
This will be a warm-to-hot week around the great PNW.  Wed & Thu remain the hottest days in our forecast this week, although clouds may tap down temps a bit in OR on Thu because of possible mid-level moisture could set off thunderstorms late Wed into Thu.  Keep alert for this, as it is a new twist for the week.  Friday continues to look very pleasant, as Nature will turn on the onshore marine ‘air conditioner’.  
 
The weekend ahead should be pleasant; it will trend a few degrees warmer than Fri.  Puget Sound Patrons could see some drizzle and cloudiness late Sunday, as a weak Low pushes onshore.  Iffy.
 
For Mon - Fri, Aug 22-26, the wx models are now trending much warmer than our last report.  It will start out pleasant on 26th, with each day ticking up the afternoon highs.  What looked to be a mild temperature day to start the Oregon State Fair on the 26th, is now charting to be the beginning of yet another HOT streak for the PNW.  The onshore flow stops completely and the 'oven door’ of the desert SW gets left open - setting up another round of triple-digits in areas across the PNW during the final days of August 2022.
 
East side thunderstorms possible late Sunday the 28 into Monday the 29th.  HEAT is now charting well into the last day of August.  We present this as a possibility, as earlier computer runs suggested milder conditions.  As we have said many times, those older projections frequently end up the most accurate, so it may not get that hot.   Let’s hope so.  
 
In the meantime, enjoy the 'dog days’ of August this week while anticipating the broad cool down next week.  
 
“The reason the cow jumped over the moon was because there was a short circuit in the milking machine."
 
-Rufus
 
 
Copyright © 1994-2022 - All Rights Reserved - The Weather Café ®
Read more →

Normal August Pattern

Posted by Rufus La Lone on

Friday August 12
 
It’s going to warm up again.  Here are the details.  
 
After a pleasant weekend ahead, temps will begin to edge upward into the 90s next week.  Wed & Thu are likely to be the hottest of the week, with mid-upper 90s for just about all locations inland a bit from the coasts of OR, WA.  Puget Sound?  Yeah, toasty there, as well.  Triple digits possible in the usual hot spots, such as southern OR and, as the week progresses, the Columbia basin.
 
Relief?  By Fri Aug 19, the onshore ‘fan’ will turn back on, but it is modeled to be just strong enough to tap down afternoon highs a bit, west side.  The weekend of Aug 20,21 is trending notably cooler than the previous week, even for eastern locations.  We do not see major thunderstorm action, at this time.  
 
Week of Aug 22-26 is trending a bit warmer for a couple of days, then cooling down into the pleasant range the start up of the Oregon State Fair on the 26th.  No rain on the charts, either by thunderstorm or pacific storm.  The last weekend of August is charting as ’summer-warm’, with temps climbing back into the upper 80s, to low 90s, west side.
 
Overall, we forecast dry & warm-to-hot for the remainder of August.  Let’s call it ’normal’.  Enjoy.
 
The successful can lay a firm foundation with the bricks that others throw at them."
 
-Rufus
 
 
Copyright © 1994-2022 - All Rights Reserved - The Weather Café ®
Read more →

Normal Outlook

Posted by Rufus La Lone on

Monday August 8
 
The final month of Summer is moving along just as fast as 2022 in general.  A few adjustments in the long-range forecast, which is why you grabbed that Mug and arrived here, right?
 
Hot today (90s; lower in the Puget Sound area), with cooler marine air seeping in as the week progresses.  The mid-level moisture (mentioned in our last report) training up from the south is tracking a bit farther west than expected, so a shower and/or thunderstorm is possible over western valleys, esp OR; WA could also gets a shot between now and Wed.  As the weekend approaches, temperatures will warm up a few degrees - which is a change - with dry conditions.  Still, temps should remain seasonal and not push into the 90s, excluding the usual hot spots in southern OR & east side.  
 
Next week is charting to be dry, with up & down afternoon temps.  Warmest days could be Wed & Thu Aug 17,18 - upper 80s for the Willamette Valley.  The weekend of Aug 20,21 is now looking warm vs cool in our last update.  Again, the outlook is not calling for 90+, just seasonal for Aug, as an onshore flow should hold western valley temps in the pleasant summer-warm mode.  Monsoonal moisture may train north along the eastern slopes of the Cascades, or SE OR & the potato lands of ID.  
 
Topical Tropical:  that time of year for tropical storm action.  After a quiet start because of a persistent Sahara Desert Dust layer, atmospherics in the Atlantic are changing slowly.  There are indications that the monsoons of western Africa are increasing, the waves of which set up the action necessary for Atlantic hurricane formation.  We see such a system that could, just maybe, begin to make news as it tracks towards the SE US coast by the weekend of Aug 20,21.  More info as warranted.
 
Finally, for the PNW, the week of Aug 22-26 is currently charting as seasonal, with temps in summer-mode and onshore breeze helping moderate afternoon highs.  Perfect, if that verifies.
 
‘Song of Summer’ reports from our Patrons are coming in from Spokane to Eugene.  The sound of cricket chirps for the Summer of 2022 are just getting started.  The first chirps here in south Albany were heard on Fri Aug 5.  Thanks!
 
“Nothing makes it more difficult to understand teen-agers than listening to what they say."
 
-Rufus
 
 
Copyright © 1994-2022 - All Rights Reserved - The Weather Café ®
Read more →

The Song of Summer

Posted by Rufus La Lone on

Friday August 5
 
A 'nine times ten' degree weekend in store for most of the PNW, with a relatively long stretch of pleasant temperatures to begin next week.  Refill that Mug.
 
The weekend will be a bit too warm for many, as temps should top out in the low-to-mid 90s.  Monday is also on tap for 90+, as well.  (It will be a few degrees cooler in the north Puget Sound region, per usual.)  Good news, is on the charts for Tue Aug 9 on through the weekend of Aug 13,14 as cooler temperatures will begin.  In fact, by next weekend, it could be slightly below normal for high temps around the PNW.  In the meantime, expect temps to slowly cool each day after Monday the 8th.  Some moisture may ride up with a SW flow aloft over the eastern basins next week, so expect a shower or boomer to develop mid-week.
 
As stated, the second weekend of Aug looks on the cooler side of summer, with onshore breeze tapping down temps from the coast to the western slopes of the Cascades.  Cooler east side by Thu.  The week of Aug 15-19 is trending on the mild side, with afternoon temps rising a bit from the previous weekend, currently charting to top out in the low-mid 80s west side.  Given the potential flow aloft that week, regional humidity will likely be higher than normal for August.  We’ll see.
 
Early yet, but the weekend of Aug 20,21 is charting below normal for temps, as an onshore flow continues to dominate our wx pattern.
 
The Song of Summer.  It's being reported by Patrons that the annual "Song of Summer” is just starting in various locations from Salem north (your host, an Entomologist by profession, has written about listening for these classic Chirps of Nature for over 25 yrs).  Western field crickets are beginning their summer song, which typically starts across western OR & WA around Aug 6-10, depending on the overall wx pattern beforehand.  Once their chirps get going, the Song of Summer will last well into the frosts of Fall.  The fun part is listening in the evening for when that Song begins in your area.  Adults & children enjoy this annual exercise. Report your findings rrufus@yahoo.com, please. 
 
Mug up & listen.
 
-Rufus
 
 
Copyright © 1994-2022 - All Rights Reserved - The Weather Café ®
Read more →

Onshore Flow

Posted by Rufus La Lone on

Monday August 1
 
The new month will present cooler temps to start, with the first couple of weekends being the warmest.  Here’s the latest outlook.
 
Onshore flow this week will tap temperatures down into a more pleasant range (70s-80s west side).  The Puget Sound area will cool down even more mid-week, as a weak Low pressure trough glances the area.  Don’t put the sunshade & sunscreen away, as more summer temps should arrive on the weekends.
 
By Aug 6 & 7, temperatures will pop back up again, with western valley in OR teasing out the upper 80s to lower 90s on Sunday Aug 7; warmer, too, for NW WA & Vancouver Is., as well.  For next week, the 8th - 12th, model solutions have presented two different scenarios - one with warm-to-hot temps, the other with mild onshore-flow temps.  For now, let’s split the difference and call for continued dry, pleasant-to-warm afternoons with a NW breeze that will decrease by Fri Aug 12.
 
The second weekend of Aug looks to be ‘summer-warm', turning a bit cooler on Mon Aug 15 as that next week begins.  
 
Broadly speaking, models indicate an onshore flow pattern in place the next two work weeks, bracketed by ‘summer-warm' weekends.  The eastern regions of WA & OR will run a bit warmer, per normal.  (FYI: around The WxCafé™️ counter, ‘summer-warm’ is defined as temps in the mid-to-upper 80s.)
 
“Time is the most valuable thing a person spends."
 
-Rufus
 
 
Copyright © 1994-2022 - All Rights Reserved - The Weather Café ®
Read more →