Cape Shoalwater WA to Cape Lookout OR between 60 and 150 NM Offshore Forecast
| Tonight...Nw Winds 20 To 25 Kt, Becoming W. Seas 12 To 17 Ft. |
| Wed...W To Sw Winds 20 To 30 Kt, Becoming W 25 To 35 Kt. Seas 15 To 26 Ft. Chance Of Rain. |
| Wed Night...Nw Winds 25 To 35 Kt, Diminishing To 20 To 30 Kt. Seas 23 To 27 Ft. |
| Thu...W Winds 15 To 25 Kt. Seas 18 To 23 Ft. |
| Thu Night...W Winds 10 To 15 Kt, Becoming S To Sw 10 To 20 Kt. Seas 14 To 18 Ft. |
| Fri...S Winds 15 To 25 Kt. Seas 10 To 13 Ft. |
| Fri Night...S Winds 15 To 25 Kt. Seas 9 To 14 Ft. |
| Sat...S Winds 20 To 25 Kt. Seas 9 To 15 Ft. |
| Sat Night...S To Sw Winds 15 To 25 Kt. Seas 12 To 15 Ft. |
| Sun...S To Sw Winds 5 To 15 Kt. Seas 11 To 14 Ft. |
| Sun Night...S Winds 10 To 15 Kt, Increasing To 15 To 20 Kt. Seas 13 To 15 Ft. |
| Area Forecast Discussion ...UPDATED National Weather Service Portland OR 957pm PST Tuesday Jan 6 2026 Updated marine and aviation discussions. Synopsis A series of fronts are moving over the region bringing periods of gusty south-southwest winds, rain, and mountain snow. Will see anywhere from 1-3 ft of snow over the Cascades but up to 4 ft along the peaks through Thursday. Winds continue to blow with exceeding 45 mph along the coast, reaching 35 mph inland, and nearly 70 mph along Mt Hood. Rain will persist through the remainder of the week with a 10-15% chance of thunderstorms along the coast. Drying trend next week. .SHORT TERM...Now through Thursday...Widespread rain is over the area as the first of the fronts has made it inland. 12 hour precipitation totals as of 230pm are around 1 inch along the north coast, around 0.2 inch along the southern coast, and less than 0.10 inch within the interior valleys. Precipitation has under performed slightly over the Cascades which has impacted snowfall totals thus far. This first band has mostly impacted the south Washington Cascades, but it does appear like the front has shifted a bit further north than models had projected. This has lessened the amount of rain in the south. The main weather feature for this frontal system has been wind along the coast combined with the rain. Gusts along the coastal beaches and headlands reached around 45 mph in the central Oregon coast, and around 50 mph around Astoria. Due to the south-southwest nature of the winds, areas around the Columbia River Bar experienced gusts up to 55 mph. Gusts in the mountains around Mt Hood have reached around 55-70 mph. As of this writing, winds within the Willamette Valley are beginning to amplify with gusts around 30 mph. Overall, the winds have been overperforming the models with a trend towards the upper 90th percentile of the NBM, and the higher resolution ensembles. Overall though winds in the lowlands will be less impactful. A second band is preparing to move inland though it is not necessarily as easily identifiable in radar. However, this system has a slightly more southerly track and therefore the southern portions of the forecast area should receive snow. Snow fall amounts will be heavier this evening. When combined with the observed gusty winds, visibility may be reduced at times for those recreating along the mountains. One challenge we have seen thus far which is combating the blowing snow threat is the fact that the fronts moving in are warmer and thus snow ratios are lower. This makes the snow "heavy" and more difficult to blow around. However, based on area cameras, winds are still having an impact on visibility at some of the resorts. Yet another frontal system will arrive on Wednesday with even more precipitation and snow in the forecast. Heaviest precipitation amounts with this band will occur Wednesday afternoon. At that point we will see the peak snowfall for this event. What makes this system a bit different than the frontal passages today is that there will be more cold air associated with it. 850 mb temperatures will drop down to -6C by Thursday morning. The Winter Storm Warning remains in place through Thursday afternoon to encompass all of the individual frontal systems that move through. Overall will see anywhere from 1 -3 ft up to 4500 ft. However, along the peaks and some of the higher elevations could see up to 4 ft (though confidence is lower here). With blowing and drifting snow, total accumulation may be lower. Precipitation will slowly dissipate through Thursday but will still linger with very light accumulation aside from the Cascades which will see an additional few inches of snow. -27 Long Term Friday through Monday Dry weather returns on Friday as ensemble guidance is in agreement of an upper level ridge building over the Pacific Northwest. By the weekend, the majority of ensemble members are showing some light rain along the coast and southwest Washington as a weak shortwave moves in though will be non-impactful. Ensembles have come into better agreement with high pressure ridging. 500 mb heigheights shows good agreement within the ensembles regarding the consistency of the ridge. -27/10 Marine Winds have decreased in the wake of a frontal passage this evening, with northwesterly winds gusting up to 20-25 kt. Seas will hover around 10 to 12 ft through early Wednesday morning. Therefore, the Small Craft Advisory remains in place for all coastal waters through tonight. Another strong front will move across the waters Wednesday morning, returning widespread gusts up to 30 kt. Chances for widespread gusts exceeding 34 kt are low (10-15%), however the chances for brief and isolated gale force gusts are higher at 70-80%, mainly with the frontal passage Wednesday morning. Chances for thunderstorms within the coastal waters also increases late Wednesday morning. Any stronger storm that does develop will have the potential for heavy rain, lightning, small hail, and gusty and erratic outflow winds up to 35-40 kt. Hazardous seas return on Wednesday as a long-period northwesterly swell arrives. This will build seas to 19 to 22 ft at 16-17 sec, peaking between 4pm Wednesday and 7am Thursday. Chances for seas exceeding 20 feet are around 60-90%, including the Main Channel of the Columbia River Bar. A Hazardous Seas Warning remains in place across all waters, including the Columbia River Bar, from Wednesday morning to Thursday afternoon. High pressure builds over the waters late this week, bringing lighter winds and much lower seas. -23/DH .BEACH HAZARDS...High surf conditions are expected to occur Wednesday afternoon through Thursday afternoon as a long-period northwesterly swell arrives, bringing breakers up to 25 ft within the surf zone. A High Surf Advisory has been issued to cover this threat. Destructive waves may wash over beaches, jetties, and other structures unexpectedly. People can be swept off rocks and jetties and drown while observing high surf. Minor beach erosion may damage coastal properties and buildings. Higher than normal water run-up is expected on beaches and low-lying shoreline. Although high surf conditions ease Thursday night into Friday, a high threat of sneaker waves will remain a threat for several days thereafter. Waves may run further up the beach than normal. These waves can easily catch people off guard. Never turn your back to the ocean. Razor clammers should use extra caution. -23/10 NOAA Portland OR Office: Watches - Warnings - Advisories OR...High Surf Advisory from 10am Wednesday to 4pm PST Thursday for ORZ101>103. Winter Storm Warning until 4pm PST Thursday for ORZ126>128. WA...High Surf Advisory from 10am Wednesday to 4pm PST Thursday for WAZ201. Winter Storm Warning until 4pm PST Thursday for WAZ211. PZ...Small Craft Advisory until 4am PST Wednesday for PZZ210-251-252-271-272. Hazardous Seas Warning from 4am Wednesday to 4pm PST Thursday for PZZ210-251-252-271-272. Small Craft Advisory until 10am PST Wednesday for PZZ253-273. Hazardous Seas Warning from 10am Wednesday to 4pm PST Thursday for PZZ253-273. |
Portland OR Radar
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