Summer pattern arrives for the long holiday weekend
Bend, Ore (KTVZ) – Memorial Day is considered by some to be the “unofficial” start to summer. This weekend the weather will help that along with temperatures in the low 80s starting tomorrow and lingering through Sunday.
High pressure off the coast will continue to keep the dry pattern in place as well as the warming trend. The lack of movement of this ridge will add to the daily uptick in the temperatures. The temps will peak on Saturday in the middle to low 80s and just dip a degree or so Sunday.
Friday will be mostly sunny, dry and warm as we head into the long weekend. Highs reach the low 80s most locations in Central Oregon as the skies may only see a few clouds. Winds will be light and variable with some gusts near 15mph at times. For the most part, light winds and warm sunny skies will define the day.
Saturday will be the day that is expected to be the warmest this weekend. The highs will reach the middle 80s most locations under sunny skies. Winds may be a bit more robust in Jefferson County both Saturday and Sunday, but overall, the Tri-Counties will be breezy but not windy.
Sunday, I expect to see more of the same with mostly sunny and dry conditions. The winds once again will be more noticeable north than south, but the sky conditions will stay mostly sunny. This will be a good weekend as far as the weather is concerned, so make sure to enjoy all that Oregon has to offer.
Memorial Day will be cooler and the day I often refer to as the transition day. There is an area of low pressure that is expected to drop down from the Gulf of Alaska and arrive in British Columbia late Monday. This will begin the changeover from warm to cooler conditions.
There will be rain associated with a cold front that will cross the Pacific Northwest late Monday through Tuesday. The rain will arrive along the coast Monday afternoon and then make it over the Cascades Monday night. Timing is always a big factor with our forecasts, but if this times out, we should have a sunny start to Memorial Day with clouds arrive late in the afternoon followed by some light rain overnight into Tuesday. As a result of the increasing cloudiness, we will only reach the middle 70s Monday. That is still above our normal upper 60s for late May.
Tuesday will be significantly cooler as the light rain and cloudy skies maintain a grip on the region most of the day. Highs reach the low 60s and overnights will dip into the middle to upper 30s. We may see a flake or two mingled in with the rain above 6000 feet, but no accumulation is expected.
Wednesday will see lingering clouds and a few showers, but the drying out process begins and will continue Thursday.
Today NOAA released their projection for the Atlantic Bason this season and it looks to be a below average year. The possibility of an El Nino switch this year has most forecasters keeping the numbers down. Named storms include Tropical Storms (wind speeds from 39 - 73mph) and Hurricanes. Hurricanes are defined by wind speeds of 74 mph and higher, and Major Hurricane is a Cat 3 and above to a Cat 5.
Cat 3 is 111 - 129 mph, Cat 4 is 130 - 156 mph and a Cat 5 is 157 and above. These are all based on the Saffir-Simpson Scale, the only classification scale accepted across the world.
Please, Stay safe and smart.
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