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Sorry, no winner this week. Here is my weekly weather quiz question for the last time. When tornadoes strike they have very strong winds. It is not possible to actually measure the winds created by tornadoes, so Dr. T. Ted Fujita created a scale of wind speeds based on the damage caused by the tornado. As of 2007  his designations have been changed. For example a tornado was listed as an F4 and now might be designated as an EF4. What does the “E” stand for and what does it mean? The Enhanced Fujita Scale (EF Scale) rates the strength of tornadoes in the United States based on the damage they cause. Implemented in place of the Fujita scale introduced in 1971 by Ted Fujita, it began operational use on February 1, 2007. The scale has the same basic design as the original Fujita scale: six categories from zero to five representing increasing degrees of damage. It was revised to reflect better examinations of tornado damage surveys, so as to align wind speeds more closely with associated storm damage. Better standardizing and elucidating what was previously subjective and ambiguous, it also adds more types of structures, vegetation, expands degrees of damage, and better accounts for variables such as differences in construction quality. The new scale was publicly unveiled by the National Weather Service at a conference of the American Meteorological Society in Atlanta on February 2, 2006. It was developed from 2000 to 2004 by the Fujita Scale Enhancement Project of the Wind Science and Engineering Research Center at Texas Tech University, which brought together dozens of expert meteorologists and civil engineers in addition to its own resources. To see the Fujita scale and the Enhanced Fujita Scale go to: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/satellite/satelliteseye/educational/fujita.html

I’ll have another weekly weather quiz question for you 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: NONE AT THIS TIME.

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Forecast for the Southern and lower Mid Willamette Valley including Eugene-Springfield and Albany-Corvallis: Mostly cloudy with showers this AM and a (40%) chance of showers this afternoon (under 0.10 in. of rain possible), partly cloudy with a slight (20%) chance of showers this evening, mostly cloudy late tonight, mostly cloudy with a (40%) chance of showers Monday AM, showers likely (60%) with a slight (20%) chance of thunderstorms in the afternoon and evening (0.15 in. of rain possible, more in storms), mostly cloudy with a good (50%) chance of showers late Monday night (0.15 in. of rain possible), mostly cloudy Tuesday with a good (50%) chance of AM showers, a slight (20%) chance of showers in the afternoon, partly cloudy with patchy fog late Tuesday night and Wednesday AM, mostly sunny Wednesday afternoon, then partly cloudy Wednesday night highs near 68 lows near 48. Mostly sunny Thursday AM, partly cloudy Thursday afternoon and evening, then mostly cloudy with a slight (20%) of showers Thursday night through Saturday highs 76-79 cooling to 74 by Saturday lows 49-53. (seasonal averages high 76 low 49)

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Forecast for the Umpqua Basin including Roseburg: Mostly cloudy with a (40%) chance of scattered showers today (under 0.10 in. of rain possible), scattered showers in the evening, a slight (20%) chance of showers late tonight (under 0.10 in. of rain possible), mostly cloudy with a good (50%) chance of showers Monday AM, showers likely (60%) with a slight (20%) chance of thunderstorms Monday afternoon and evening (0.15 in. of rain possible, small hail possible), then mostly cloudy with showers likely (60%) chance of showers Monday night (0.25 in. of rain possible), mostly cloudy with a (40%) chance of showers Tuesday (under 0.10 in. of rain possible), partly cloudy Tuesday night highs 70-65 warming to near 72 Tuesday lows near 50. Partly cloudy Wednesday through Thursday night,  mostly cloudy with a slight (20%) chance of showers Friday afternoon, then mostly cloudy with a slight (20%) chance of showers Friday night and Saturday highs 82-80 lows 52-55. (seasonal averages high 78 low 53)

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Forecast for the South Oregon Coast including Coos Bay and North Bend: Mostly cloudy with a slight (20%) chance of isolated coastal showers today with isolated inland showers early this AM and a slight (20%) chance of showers this afternoon, (under 0.10 in. of rain possible), a slight (20%) chance of isolated coastal showers this evening and a (30%) chance of showers late tonight (0.10 in. of rain possible), a (30%) chance of inland scattered showers tonight, showers likely (60%) Monday (0.25 in. of rain possible) , showers likely (60%) with a slight (20%) chance of thunderstorms in the evening, a good (50%) chance of showers late Monday night (0.15 in. of rain possible), mostly cloudy with a (30%) chance of showers Tuesday AM, partly cloudy with a (30%) chance of showers in the afternoon (under 0.10 in. of rain possible), then partly cloudy Tuesday night highs near 62 lows near 49. Partly cloudy Wednesday through Thursday evening, mostly cloudy late Thursday night, then mostly cloudy with a slight (20%) chance of showers Friday through Saturday highs 62-65 cooling to near 62 Saturday lows near 49-53. (seasonal averages high 63 low 51).

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Forecast for the Cascades of Lane County: Mostly cloudy with rain and snow showers likely (60%) this AM, showers likely (60%) this afternoon (0.10 in. of rain possible), mostly cloudy with a (40%) chance of showers this evening, a slight (20%) chance of showers late tonight, mostly cloudy with a (40%) chance of showers Monday AM, showers with a slight (20%) chance of thunderstorms in the afternoon and evening, rain and snow showers late Monday night, mostly cloudy with AM rain or snow showers likely (60%), a mix of clouds and sun with a good (50%) chance of showers Tuesday afternoon, partly cloudy with a slight (20%) chance of showers in the evening, then just partly cloudy late Tuesday night snow level 5,500 ft. rising to 7,000 ft. this afternoon and tonight, 7,500 ft. Monday and Monday night, 5,000 ft. rising to 7,000 ft. Tuesday night highs 58-54 lows near 37. Partly cloudy Wednesday AM, mostly sunny in the afternoon, partly cloudy Wednesday night, mostly sunny  Thursday AM, partly cloudy Thursday afternoon, and evening, mostly cloudy with a slight (20%) chance of showers late Thursday night, a mix of clouds and sun Friday with a slight (20%) chance of AM showers, a (30%) chance of showers in the afternoon and Friday night, a mix of clouds and sun Saturday with a slight (20%) chance of AM showers Saturday AM, then a slight (20%) chance of showers Saturday afternoon free air freezing level 10,000 ft. rising to 12,000 ft. Wednesday afternoon and Wednesday night, 13,000 ft. Thursday evening, snow level above 8,000 ft. Thursday night, then snow level above 8,000 ft. Friday through Saturday highs 65-69 cooling to near 63 Saturday lows 42-45.

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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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