By Gordon McCraw, Meteorologist for the Tillamook County Pioneer
Well yesterday, Sunday August 20th, was certainly a hazy, smoky day across the area with the valley reaching unhealthy air quality levels. All that smoke was from fires to the north into eastern Washington and Canada. The good news is the onshore flow is getting stronger and is pushing the smoke off to the southeast today, here in the southern valley area the Air Quality is now sitting at Moderate, a big improvement over yesterday.
As far as the weather picture, we will have what is left of Hilary passing to the east of the Cascades while a low pressure area sits and spins off the San Francisco area. There is another low pressure area spinning up off the coast of British Columbia that is dropping south along the coast. The result of all this is an increased onshore flow that will keep things cooler through midweek. Tonight, the clouds roll in and the winds ease making patchy morning fog possible, the overnight low down near 49.
The associated trough of low pressure from the low pressure area to the northwest will move in tomorrow and give us a slight chance of showers in the afternoon and evening. Winds tomorrow becoming westerly 5-10, the high near 68. Still a slight chance of showers tomorrow night, the winds becoming more southerly but easing, some patchy morning fog possible again, lows near 52.
The low pressure area off California dissipates by Wednesday and the low to the north pushes towards Vancouver Island. This leaves us with partly sunny skies after any patchy morning fog clears, winds becoming westerly 5-10, the high near 69, then a mostly clear night, lows near 51.
Thursday the low to the north moves inland and passes well to the north, and without any smoke to block the sun, we see sunny skies with highs climbing to near 76, then yet another upper level low pressure area drops down from the Gulf of Alaska and bring another slight chance of showers Thursday night, lows near 54.
The problem with the forecast Friday on through the weekend is that the models do not agree on where this low will finally move ashore so how about we just say…partly to mostly sunny skies for the weekend which includes Friday, a slight chance of light showers, and the high near 70, some mostly cloudy nights, still that chance of a light shower, lows near 52.
