Chilly weekend ahead as winds relax and skies clear late Friday

Bend, Ore (KTVZ) – Brisk winds, early morning rain and much cooler weather are defining the first Friday of Autumn. The bulk of the rain has fallen on the Cascades where around a half inch of water has made it to the ground Across the high desert, less than a tenth of an inch of rain has watered the lawns and fields.

A Wind Advisory is in place until 5 pm Friday for portions of Central Oregon.

The drought monitor indicates that we are still in an extreme drought for most of the Tri-Counties (Deschutes, Crook and Jefferson). The rain that we need to get us out of this situation will take several rounds of rain over a period of weeks to get us back to normal. This does seem to be a tall task, but it is what we need.

As for the forecast, Saturday will be mostly sunny and dry with the winds relaxing and the temperatures remaining chilly. Highs will be in the low to middle 60s regionwide, which is slightly below our normal high of 72 for September 26^th in Bend.  Winds will be arriving from the northeast at around 5 – 7 mph, with a few gusts reaching about 15 mph.

Sunday looks to be similar to Saturday but with a few more clouds than Saturday. Highs Sunday will top out in the middle 60s as well and the winds will be generally light and variable.

Monday will see the return of the 70s as Central Oregon warms slightly. Still expecting mostly sunny skies and a light breeze to kick of the first full week of fall.

Tuesday and Wednesday will also follow suit as the afternoon high temperatures will top out in the low 70s.

Thursday brings back a slightly cooler pattern as highs will reach the upper 60s under partly cloudy skies. Friday looks to be chilly again as the mercury only hits the low 60s.

Please, Stay safe and smart.

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