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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: A FROST ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT FROM 3 AM UNTIL 7 AM MONDAY FOR THE KLAMATH BASIN, NORTHERN AND EASTERN KLAMATH COUNTY, AND WESTERN, CENTRAL, AND EASTERN LAKE COUNTY.
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Forecast for the Southern and lower Mid Willamette Valley including Eugene-Springfield and Albany-Corvallis: Partly cloudy with a slight (20%) chance of showers this evening, mostly cloudy late tonight, mostly cloudy with a slight (20%) chance of showers Monday AM, showers likely (60%) with a slight (20%) chance of thunderstorms in the afternoon and evening (0.10 in. of rain possible, more in storms), mostly cloudy with a good (50%) chance of showers late Monday night (0.10 in. of rain possible), a mix of clouds and sun 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 lows 48-44 warming to near 50 Wednesday night highs 67-77. A mix of clouds and sun with a slight (20%) chance of showers Thursday afternoon, mostly cloudy with a slight (20%) chance of showers in the evening, a (30%) of showers late Thursday night through Saturday night, then a mix of clouds and sun with a (30%) chance of showers Sunday highs 75-72 lows 55-52. (seasonal averages high 76 low 49)
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Forecast for the Umpqua Basin including Roseburg: Mostly cloudy with a slight (20%) chance of isolated showers tonight (under 0.10 in. of rain possible), a good (50%) chance of showers Monday AM, showers with a slight (20%) chance of thunderstorms Monday afternoon and evening (0.15 in. of rain possible, small hail possible), mostly cloudy with showers likely (60%) late Monday night (0.20 in. of rain possible), mostly cloudy with a (40%) chance of showers Tuesday AM, partly cloudy with a (40%) chance of showers in the afternoon (under 0.10 in. of rain possible), partly cloudy Tuesday night through Wednesday night lows 52-48 warming to 53 Wednesday night highs 70-65 warming to near 72 Tuesday. Partly cloudy Thursday AM, mostly cloudy with a slight (20%) chance of showers Thursday afternoon through Friday night, then mostly cloudy with a (30%) chance of showers Saturday through Sunday highs 78-80 lows 55-58 cooling to 54 Saturday night. (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 isolated showers this evening, a (30%) chance of showers late tonight (under 0.10 in. of rain possible), coastal showers Monday AM, with showers likely (60%) in the afternoon and inland showers Monday afternoon (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), partly cloudy Tuesday night, mostly cloudy with patchy fog Wednesday AM, partly cloudy Wednesday afternoon and Wednesday night lows 50-47 warming to 50 Wednesday highs 60-63. Partly cloudy Thursday AM, mostly cloudy with a slight (20%) chance of showers Thursday afternoon through Saturday night, then mostly cloudy with a slight (20%) chance of showers Sunday highs near 63 lows near near 54. (seasonal averages high 63 low 51).
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Forecast for the Cascades of Lane County: Partly 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 (1 in. of snow possible), mostly cloudy with AM rain and snow showers likely (60%) Tuesday AM, a mix of clouds and sun with a good (50%) chance of showers Tuesday afternoon, partly cloudy Tuesday night and Wednesday AM, mostly sunny Wednesday afternoon, then partly cloudy Wednesday night snow level 7,000 ft. tonight, 7,500 ft. Monday, 7,500 ft. falling to 5,500 ft. Monday night, 7,000 ft. Tuesday, free air freezing 8,000 ft. Tuesday night, 8,000 ft. rising to 10,000 ft. Wednesday afternoon, then 10,000 ft. rising to 12,000 ft. late Wednesday night lows 38-44 highs 54-52 rising to near 70 Wednesday. A mix of clouds and sun Thursday with a slight (20%) chance of afternoon showers, partly cloudy Thursday afternoon, 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 (40%) chance of showers in the afternoon and Friday night, a mix of clouds and sun with a (40%) chance of showers Saturday, mostly cloudy with a (30%) chance of showers Saturday night, then a mix of clouds and sun with a (30%) chance of showers Sunday snow level above 8,000 ft. Thursday through Sunday highs 65-60 lows near 42.
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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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