By Gordon McCraw, Meteorologist for the Tillamook County Pioneer
Winds, rain, thunder, and lightning, yep, we had it all last night. The low pressure area off the coast continued to spin showers up across our area today, and we also saw, and continue to see, some isolated thunderstorms move ashore. The threat continues tonight as the low slowly drifts towards Washington, so we continue to see showers, some heavy, and still with the thunderstorm threat. The heavy showers can produce gusty winds as they push through also, otherwise the winds southerly 8-12 gusting to 20, tonight the lows near 47.
The activity continues tomorrow as the low slowly moves inland but continues to rotate the showers and possible thunderstorms into the area from the coastal waters. Winds tomorrow northwesterly 8-12 gusting to 20, the high near 55, the thunderstorm threat ends tomorrow night, but we can still see some scattered showers, the winds ease, lows near 42.
Wednesday the activity becomes more widely scattered as high pressure starts to build in, the high near 57, then with partly cloudy and dry skies Wednesday night, the low drops to near 40.
Thursday the ridge will have drifted to the east with another trough of low pressure off to our west. This means we likely start out dry Thursday but then a front will move in, bringing rain back into the area by around noon, then we add some breezy winds that night, highs near 55, lows near 42. The models are mixed on how much rain this will bring, some suggest as little as ½” while others show upward of 1 to 1 ½”. The bottom line though is we will get the rain!
Friday, we see post-frontal showers, but after that the models get hazy again. Some say dry with a ridge returning, the other say a zonal flow and a front and/or a trough that will bring back the rain. Right now, it is about a 50/50 chance of it going either way. So, for now, we go with a wet and breezy Veterans Day at the coast, and hope that it changes so all the Veteran Day activities can take place without the rain!