Partly cloudy and warmer conditions ahead with lingering smoke

Bend, Ore (KTVZ) – More prescribed burns today across the region adding smoke to the skies. This round will be similar to Wednesday as the ground litter gets burned away.  The plumes of smoke will be visible from most locations near Bend and points south, so be aware that we will have poor air quality in pockets today and into Friday morning.

Thursday will be mostly sunny and mild with high temperatures reaching the low 70s.  The normal highs for this time of year are the low 60s so we will be well above that number.  This will be the coolest day for the next several days as the ridge takes over.

Friday will be very mild with highs near 80 in some spots. The ridge will be in place most of the day and allow the mercury to get into the upper 70s.  A low will be driving south just off the coast on Friday but not impact the region with rain, just yet.

The ridge begins to show signs of moving east which will open the door for some spotty showers along the Cascades overnight into Saturday.

Saturday will be an interesting day with just enough moisture to allow me to put a slight chance of showers in the forecast. The rain will be spotty and close to the mountains.  As the ridge slides east the low off the coast moves inland into Northern California. This is why we may see some rainy pockets in western and southern Deschutes County.

Sunday will be partly to mostly cloudy and warm with highs near 80 once again. The low passing into Nevada might spin some rain into Southern Oregon, but not enough to push into Central Oregon.

Monday will see the 80s return and the extended forecast has us staying in the 80s until at least Thursday. A summer feel to the first week of May is on the docket, so if you enjoy summer and the warmth that comes with it, you will enjoy next week.

Please, Stay safe.

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