_______________
It’s Monday and again time for my new weekly weather quiz question. Here it is. What is “AFOS” and why is it being replaced by “AWIPS?” 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. Good luck.
________________
An upper level ridge of high pressure (Shaded “Arch” shape) is flattening, losing its hump, and is allowing a sub tropical moisture flow from near Hawaii (called the “Pineapple Express”) to move toward us. A warm front moves through and stalls North of us helping to funnel that warm moist air our way. It seems that our chances for rain over the next 48-72 hours are much less than I originally expected. An upper level trough of low pressure (Shaded “U” shape) along with a cold front will approach the Pacific Northwest Thursday and push through Friday increasing the chances for rain.
________________
Advisories: NONE AT THIS TIME.
________________
Forecast for the Southern and lower Mid Willamette Valley including Eugene-Springfield and Albany-Corvallis: Cloudy this AM, a mix of clouds and sun this afternoon, mostly cloudy with patchy fog late tonight and Tuesday AM, mostly cloudy in the afternoon and Tuesday night, a mix of clouds and sun with a slight (20%) chance of AM rain, partly cloudy by late afternoon Wednesday, then mostly cloudy Wednesday night highs near 60 lows 43-45. Mostly cloudy with a slight (20%) chance of rain Thursday, a good (50%) chance of rain Thursday night, cloudy with a good (50%) chance of rain Friday and Friday night, cloudy with a (40%) chance of rain Saturday, then mostly cloudy with a (40%) chance of rain Saturday night and Sunday highs 62-55 lows 44-42. (seasonal averages high 56 low 37)
Forecast for the Umpqua Basin including Roseburg: Mostly cloudy today, mostly cloudy with patchy fog late tonight and Tuesday AM, mostly cloudy in the afternoon and Tuesday night with patchy fog late at night and Wednesday AM, a slight (20%) chance of AM rain, then mostly cloudy Wednesday afternoon and Wednesday night highs 65-70 lows 42-46. Mostly cloudy with a slight (20%) chance of rain Thursday, a (30%) chance of rain Thursday night, cloudy with a slight (20%) chance of rain Friday and Friday night, then mostly cloudy with a (30%) chance of rain Saturday through Sunday highs 64-56 warming to 62 Sunday lows 45-42. (seasonal averages high 57 low 39)
_________________
Forecast for the South Oregon Coast including Coos Bay and North Bend: Patchy AM fog, mostly cloudy this afternoon, cloudy with patchy fog late tonight and Tuesday AM, mostly cloudy in the afternoon, mostly cloudy with patchy fog late Tuesday night and Wednesday AM, a slight (20%) chance of AM rain, mostly cloudy in the afternoon and Wednesday night highs 56-59 lows 42-46. Mostly cloudy with a slight (20%) chance of rain Thursday, cloudy with a (40%) chance of rain Thursday night and Friday, then a (30%) chance of rain Friday night through Sunday highs 56-52 warming to 55 Monday lows 45-42. (seasonal averages high 54 low 41)
________________
Forecast for the Cascades of Lane County: Mostly cloudy with today through Tuesday night, a slight (20%) chance of AM rain, a mix of clouds and sun Wednesday afternoon, then mostly cloudy at night free air freezing level 7,500 ft. today, 8,000 ft. tonight through Tuesday night, snow level 7,500 ft. Wednesday and Wednesday night highs 50-53 lows 33-37. Mostly cloudy with a (30%) chance of rain Thursday, a (40%) chance of rain Thursday night, a good (50%) chance of rain Friday, a (40%) chance of rain Friday night, cloudy with a good (50%) chance of rain and snow Saturday and Saturday night, then mostly cloudy with a (40%) chance of rain and snow Sunday snow level 7,500 ft. Thursday, 6,500 ft. Thursday night, 6,000 ft. Friday and Friday night, then 5,000 ft. Saturday through Sunday highs 52-43 lows 34-30.
________________
**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.
________________
Get your local Eugene-Springfield news on-line at Eugene Daily News.com.
________________