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Sorry, but no winner this week. Here is my weather quiz question one more time. There is an old saying “Cold is the night when the stars shine bright.” What does this saying mean and how does it happen? In the winter, the nights are long in the middle and high latitudes. When the sun is not out, the earth’s surface can continually cool off. Everything emits radiation: the sun, the Earth, the clouds, buildings, and even people. If the stars are shining bright it means there are clear skies. Clear skies allow radiation emitted from the earth’s surface to escape into space because there are no clouds to radiate the energy back down to the surface. Therefore cloudy nights are warmer than clear nights, all else being equal. I’ll have a new weekly weather quiz question for you starting Monday. Please post your answer as a comment by clicking on “no comments/comments” in the upper right hand portion of this page under the caption, then add your comment. The first person to post the correct answer will win a week of free personalized  weather forecasts tailored to your needs. The answer has to be a comment to win. An email answer will not count.

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An upper level high pressure ridge (“Arch” shape approaching the Pacific Northwest) will bring much warmer and brighter weather for the weekend.  A weak frontal system will be moving in early next week, but it shouldn’t push us all the way back to colder than normal and very wet.

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Advisories:  A FROST ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT FROM 2 AM UNTIL 9 AM SUNDAY FOR EASTERN CURRY COUNTY, JOSEPHINE COUNTY, AND JACKSON COUNTY.

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Here are your detailed forecasts. **

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Forecast for the Southern and lower Mid Willamette Valley including Eugene-Springfield and Albany-Corvallis: AM clouds with a slight chance of a sprinkle, then a mix of clouds and sun and pleasant today, mostly clear tonight, AM clouds and patchy fog, mostly sunny and warmer Sunday, partly cloudy Sunday night, mostly cloudy with a (30%) chance of rain and cooler Monday, then partly cloudy Monday night  highs 58-74 cooling to near 60 Monday lows 32-42 cooling to 36 Monday night. A mix of clouds and sun Tuesday, mostly clear Tuesday night, mostly sunny Wednesday and Thursday, mostly clear Wednesday night, mostly sunny Thursday, partly cloudy with a slight (20%) chance of showers Thursday night, then mostly cloudy with a (30%) chance of showers Friday highs 62-74 cooling to near 60 Friday lows 35-45. (seasonal  averages high  63 low 41)

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Forecast for the Umpqua Basin including Roseburg: Mostly cloudy with patchy frost early this AM and a slight (20%) chance of an isolated shower AM snow level 2,500 ft.), partly cloudy this afternoon, mostly clear tonight with areas of frost very late at night and early Sunday AM, sunny and warmer Sunday afternoon, partly cloudy Sunday night, mostly cloudy with a slight (20%) chance of rain Monday, then partly cloudy with a slight (20%) chance of showers Monday night highs 60-75 cooling to near 62 Monday lows 37-47 cooling to near 40 Monday night.  Mostly sunny Tuesday through Thursday, mostly cloudy with a slight (20%) chance of showers Thursday night, then a (30%) chance of showers Friday highs 76-65 lows  36-47. (seasonal averages high 67 low 43)

[If you live in Douglas County here is a great garden tip for you. The Douglas County OSU Extension Service Master Gardeners will be holding their annual Plant & Garden Expo on Saturday, May 7th, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Douglas County Fairgrounds (Exit 123 off I-5). Don’t miss it.]

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Forecast for the South Oregon Coast including Coos Bay and North Bend: AM clouds with a slight (20%) chance of an isolated shower, partly cloudy this afternoon, mostly clear tonight with patchy frost along the shore late night and early Sunday AM, sunny and warmer Sunday afternoon, partly cloudy Sunday night, mostly cloudy with a good (50%) chance of coastal rain and a (40%) chance of inland rain  Monday, then partly cloudy Monday night highs 55-62 cooling to near 54 Monday lows 38-48 cooling to near 40 Monday night. Mostly sunny Tuesday through Thursday, mostly clear both nights, mostly cloudy with a slight (20%) chance of showers Thursday night, then a (30%) chance of showers Friday highs 57-62 cooling to 56 Friday lows 40-46. (seasonal averages high 59 low 45).

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Forecast for the Cascades of Lane County: Partly cloudy today with just a slight (20%) chance of a morning snow shower, mostly clear tonight, mostly sunny and warmer Sunday, and partly cloudy Sunday night, mostly cloudy with a (30%) of rain Monday, rain likely (60%) North of McKenzie pass, then mostly cloudy with a slight (20%) chance of rain and snow showers Monday night snow level 2,500 ft. rising to 4,000 ft. this afternoon, free air freezing level 5,000 ft. tonight, rising to 9,000 ft. Sunday and Sunday night, snow level 5,500 ft. Monday, then 4,500 ft. Monday night highs 43-60 falling to near 50 Monday lows 22-30 cooling to 24 Monday night. Partly cloudy Tuesday  with a slight (20%) chance of showers, partly cloudy Tuesday night, mostly sunny Wednesday and Thursday, mostly clear Wednesday night, mostly sunny Thursday, partly cloudy with a slight (20%) chance of showers Thursday night, then a (30%) chance of showers Friday snow level 5,000 ft. Tuesday, free air freezing level 7,000 ft. Tuesday night, 8,000 ft. Wednesday, 9,000 ft. Wednesday night and Thursday, then a snow level of 8,000 ft. Thursday night and Friday highs 48-65 cooling to near 52 Friday lows 25-36 cooling to 32 Thursday night.

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**Because weather forecasting is a combination of science, intuition, and timing there can be no absolute guarantees that individual forecasts will be 100% accurate. Nature is in a constant state of flux and sudden unexpected weather events can happen.