Rainy and stormy pattern heading into the weekend.

Today and tonight, we should be dealing with some rainy conditions and possibly a thunderstorm or two.  This will be the first of two days with showers and storms. The bulk of the nasty weather today will be east of our tri-counties of Deschutes, Jefferson, and Crook, but we are still in line for some isolated thunderstorms before midnight.

The stronger and more active day for our region will be tomorrow, Saturday. The Storm Prediction Center has placed our three counties in the Marginal Risk category for severe storms Saturday.  The main threat Saturday will be large hail, which is one of the features that make a storm severe, but also some gusty winds. 

Hail over 1” in diameter qualifies as a severe storm, also a storm with winds at or above 58 mph and a thunderstorm that produces a tornado.

Lightning is also a byproduct of the storms so be alert for lightning if you are planning to do any outdoor activities.  Lightning can strike something that is ten miles from the storm so if you can hear the thunder, you can get hit my lightning.  The expression “when thunder roars, get indoors” is very important to remember.  Take shelter until you have not heard thunder for 30 minutes.

As for Sunday, we may still see some scattered showers in the morning, but then clearing skies are likely in the afternoon.  Gusty winds will be blowing things around so it may be wise to secure any outdoor objects that may get relocated in the wind.

Next week should be quiet and mild with a stray shower at times, but nothing widespread.

Stay Safe

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