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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 1 AM UNTIL 9 AM SUNDAY FOR THE NORTH AND CENTRAL OREGON COAST, AND THE I-5 CORRIDOR FROM PORTLAND THROUGH EUGENE. A FROST ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT FROM 12 AM UNTIL 9 AM SUNDAY FOR THE NORTH COAST RANGE VALLEYS OF OREGON. A FROST ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT FROM 12 AM UNTIL 9 AM SUNDAY FOR THE CENTRAL COAST RANGE OF OREGON AND THE UPPER HOOD RIVER VALLEY. 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: Mostly clear tonight with areas of frost and patchy fog late tonight and early Sunday AM, mostly sunny and warmer Sunday, partly cloudy Sunday evening, then mostly cloudy at night, mostly cloudy with a good (50%) chance of rain and cooler Monday, mostly cloudy in the evening with a slight chance of showers, partly cloudy Monday night, partly cloudy with a slight (20%) chance of showers Tuesday, then just partly cloudy Tuesday night lows 32-42 cooling to 34 Monday night and Tuesday night highs 74-59. Mostly sunny and warmer Wednesday, mostly clear Wednesday night, partly cloudy Thursday, partly cloudy with a slight (20%) chance of showers Thursday night, a (40%) chance of showers Friday, then mostly cloudy with a good (50%) chance of showers Friday night and Saturday highs 73-58 lows 37-45. (seasonal averages high 64 low 41)
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Forecast for the Umpqua Basin including Roseburg: Partly cloudy this evening, mostly clear tonight, sunny and warmer Sunday afternoon, partly cloudy Sunday night, mostly cloudy with a (30%) chance of rain Monday, partly cloudy Monday night, mostly sunny Tuesday, then mostly clear Tuesday night lows 37-47 cooling to near 40 Monday night and Tuesday night highs 75-60-65. Mostly sunny Wednesday and Thursday, mostly cloudy with a slight (20%) chance of showers Thursday night, a (30%) chance of showers Friday, a (40%) chance of showers Friday night, then cloudy with a good (50%) chance of rain Saturday highs 76-59 lows 39-47. (seasonal averages high 68 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: Partly cloudy this evening, mostly clear tonight with patchy frost along the shore late night and early Sunday AM, sunny and warmer Sunday afternoon, partly cloudy Sunday evening, mostly cloudy at night, mostly cloudy with a (30%) chance of rain Monday, partly cloudy Monday night, mostly sunny Tuesday, then mostly clear Tuesday night lows 37-48 cooling to near 40 Monday night and Tuesday night highs 55-53-59. Mostly sunny Wednesday and Thursday, mostly clear Wednesday night, mostly cloudy with a slight (20%) chance of showers Thursday night, a (30%) chance of showers Friday, a good (50%) chance of showers Friday night, then cloudy with rain likely (60%) Saturday highs 60-53 lows 45-48. (seasonal averages high 59 low 45).
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Forecast for the Cascades of Lane County: Partly cloudy tonight, mostly sunny and warmer Sunday, partly cloudy Sunday night, cloudy with a (30%) of rain Monday (0.10 in. of rain possible), mostly cloudy Monday evening, partly cloudy at night with a slight (20%) chance of rain and snow showers and colder, partly cloudy Tuesday with a slight (20%) chance of showers, and just partly cloudy Tuesday night free air freezing level 6,000 ft. tonight, 6,500 ft. rising to 9,000 ft. Sunday and Sunday night, snow level 6,000 ft. Monday, 4,500 ft. Monday night and Tuesday, free air freezing level 7,000 ft. Tuesday night lows 22-32 falling to 23 Monday night rising to 32 Tuesday night highs 59-48. Mostly sunny Wednesday and Thursday, mostly clear Wednesday night, partly cloudy with a slight (20%) chance of showers Thursday night, a (30%) chance of showers Friday, mostly cloudy with a (40%) chance of showers Friday night, then a good (50%) chance of showers Saturday free air freezing level 9,000 ft. Wednesday, 10,000 ft. Wednesday night, 11,000 ft. Thursday, snow level 8,000 ft. Thursday night and Friday, falling to 6,500 ft Friday night, then back to 7,000 ft. Saturday highs 63-50 lows 34-30.
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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.