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Sorry, but no winner this week. Here is my weekly weather quiz question for this week for the last time. The Willamette Valley can see some pretty hot temperatures during the summer months, but the diurnal variation of temperatures is what makes it not as uncomfortable as it can get elsewhere. Explain what “diurnal” means and why does it make us more comfortable? Here is the answer. Diurnal temperature variation is a meteorological term that relates to the variation in temperature that occurs from the highs of the day to the cool of nights. For Western Oregon that translates to a drastic drop off of temperatures after a very warm summer day. The high for the day may exceed 90 degrees, but the nighttime low temperature will usually fall anywhere from 20 to 40 degrees cooler which makes for much more comfortable conditions than would be found in other parts of the country. I’ll have a new weekly weather quiz question for you starting next Monday. Please remember to 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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Advisories: A FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE COQUILLE RIVER AT COQUILLE AND FOR THE PUDDING RIVER AT AURORA. FOR FLOOD UPDATES SEE THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RIVER WARNINGS.
A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT FROM 2AM UNTIL 11 AM SUNDAY ABOVE 1,500 FT. FOR THE SOUTH CENTRAL AND SOUTH OREGON COAST, CENTRAL DOUGLAS COUNTY, EASTERN CURRY COUNTY, JOSEPHINE COUNTY, THE EASTERN DOUGLAS COUNTY FOOTHILLS, AND ABOVE 2,000 FT. FOR JACKSON COUNTY.
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A trough of low pressure (“U” shape on the jet stream) is sliding southward and eastward and lengthening. That trough will help produce rain and snow showers and lower snow levels enough to drop some snow on the tops of the hills that overlook the Willamette Valley. A frontal system will bring even more rain to us early next week.
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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 cloudy with a good (50%) chance of showers tonight (under 0.10 in. of rain possible), showers likely (60%) Sunday (snow level 1,000 ft., 0.10 in. of rain possible), a (40%) chance of evening showers, a good (50%) chance of rain and snow showers Monday AM, showers likely (60%) in the afternoon (0.15 in. of rain possible), cloudy with a good (50%) chance of evening rain, rain likely (60%) late Monday night (0.50 in. of rain possible), rain Tuesday, then mostly cloudy with rain likely (60%) Tuesday night lows 33-30 warming to near 38 Tuesday night highs 45-55. Mostly cloudy with rain Wednesday, showers likely (60%) Wednesday night (snow level 1,000 ft.), rain likely (60%) Thursday, then mostly cloudy with a good (50%) chance of showers Thursday night through Saturday highs 53-48 lows 34-37. (seasonal averages high 57 low 37)
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Forecast for the Umpqua Basin including Roseburg: Mostly cloudy with scattered rain and snow showers tonight (snow level 2,000 ft. falling to 700 ft. late tonight, under 0.10 in. of rain possible), rain and snow showers likely (60%) Sunday (snow level 900 ft., 1 in. of snow possible, under 0.10 in. of rain possible), rain and snow showers likely (60%) in the afternoon (snow level 700 ft., 0.10 in. of rain possible), a (30%) chance of rain and snow showers Sunday night (snow level 500 ft., under 0.10 in. of rain possible), mostly cloudy with a good (50%) chance of AM snow, a (40%) chance of rain and snow in the afternoon (snow level 2,000 ft.), rain and snow likely (60%) in the evening, rain late Monday night (snow level 2,500 ft. rising to 3,000 ft. late Monday night, 0.25 in. of rain possible), mostly cloudy with rain Tuesday and a bit warmer, then rain likely (60%) Tuesday night lows 33-45 highs 64-50. Mostly cloudy with rain Wednesday, rain and snow showers likely (60%) Wednesday night through Thursday night, then mostly cloudy with a good (50%) chance of rain and snow showers Friday highs 58-53 lows near 37. (seasonal averages high 58 low 39)
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Forecast for the South Oregon Coast including Coos Bay and North Bend: Mostly cloudy with scattered showers and a slight (20%) chance of isolated thunderstorms at the shore this evening then showers late tonight, scattered inland rain and snow showers this evening, then rain and snow showers late tonight (snow level 1,500 ft. falling to 800 ft. late at night, 1 in. of snow possible, 0.10 in. of rain possible), coastal rain and snow showers likely (60%) Sunday AM, rain and snow showers likely (60%) Sunday afternoon inland (snow level 800 ft., 1 in. of snow possible, 0.15 in. of rain possible), a good (50%) chance of coastal showers Sunday evening showers likely (60%) late, a (30%) chance of inland rain and snow showers Sunday night (snow level 700 ft.), a good (50%) chance of coastal rain Monday with rain likely (60%) in the afternoon, a good (50%) chance of AM rain and snow inland, rain and snow likely (60%) Monday afternoon inland (snow level 200 ft. rising to 1,500 ft. in the afternoon), rain Monday night (0.50 in. of rain possible) and breezy, rain Tuesday, then rain likely (60%) Tuesday night lows 34-44 highs 46-54. Mostly cloudy with rain Wednesday, showers likely (60%) Wednesday night, rain and snow showers likely (60%) Thursday AM, showers likely (60%) Thursday afternoon, a good (50%) chance of showers Thursday night through Saturday highs 55-48 lows 36-40. (seasonal averages high 54 low 42).
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Forecast for the Cascades of Lane County: Mostly cloudy with a good (50%) chance of snow showers tonight, snow showers (1-3 in. of snow possible) likely (60%) Sunday, a good (50%) chance of snow showers Sunday night and Monday AM, snow showers likely (60%) Monday afternoon and Monday night and breezy (wind: SW 5-15 mph increasing to S 15-25 mph gusts to 45 mph late), mostly cloudy with rain, snow, and breezy Tuesday, then rain and snow likely (60%) Tuesday night snow level at the surface tonight through Monday, 2,500 ft. Monday night, 4,500 ft. Tuesday, then 5,000 ft. Tuesday night lows 23-18 warming to near 30 Tuesday night highs 29-43. Mostly cloudy with rain and snow Wednesday, rain and snow showers likely (60%) Wednesday night, rain and snow likely (60%) Thursday, rain and snow showers likely (60%) at night, mostly cloudy with a good (50%) chance of rain and snow showers Friday through Saturday snow level 4,000 ft. Wednesday, 2,500 ft. Wednesday night, 3,000 ft. Thursday and Thursday night, 2,500 ft. Friday, then 4,500 ft. Friday night and Saturday highs 43-32 then warming to near 40 Saturday lows near 26.
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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.
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Get your local Eugene-Springfield news on-line at Eugene Daily News.com.
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