By Gordon McCraw, Meteorologist for the Tillamook County Pioneer
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We saw some light showers this morning that became more widely scattered this afternoon as a weak ridge of high pressure moved in to give us a break. The break is short lived though, as we have a stronger system moving in later tonight that will bring us some moderate to heavy rain, stronger southerly winds, and increasing surf. So, increasing clouds this evening, then the rain moves in by around midnight, associated with a front and it’s low pressure area off to the west. The winds tonight becoming southerly 5-10 gusting to 25, the low tonight near 44. We are still looking at hazardous seas and high surf with possible sneaker waves moving in for tonight through tomorrow.
The front pushes across by around lunch time tomorrow followed by some moderate to heavy showers with possible thunderstorms, wind becoming southwesterly 10-15 gusting to 35 with gusts to 50 possible down at the beaches, the afternoon high near 54. The parent low pressure area continues to inch towards the coast to our northwest tomorrow night, so we continue to see showers with possible thunderstorms, winds southerly 10-15 gusting to 25, lows near 43. Total rainfall for this event will be in the range of one to one and a half inches.
Thursday the low continues to meander west of the Washington/Oregon coast so we see more showers with possible thunderstorms, the winds increasing to southerly 15-20 gusting to 30 with higher gusts still at the beaches, the high near 50. The shower and thunderstorm threat continues until around midnight when the thunderstorm threat drops out, but the scattered showers remain, still breezy, lows near 41.
By Friday, the trough and low pressure area is getting pushed southward towards the northern California coast by a building ridge of high pressure off to our northwest. This means we see decreasing shower activity into Friday afternoon with only a slight chance still Friday night, highs near 59, lows near 42.
Good news for the weekend as that high pressure ridge looks to give us a fair, dry, and mild weekend. Saturday looks sunny and 61, Sunday is mostly sunny and 60 with partly cloudy nights, lows near 40. It’s looking like more yard work is also in the forecast, and pleasant conditions for all those Easter egg hunts.