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Check out my latest Eugene Daily News Weather Or Not Column So You Want To Measure The Weather In Your Yard?
And don’t forget my latest feature story on continuing series on service club organizations
called Most Remember The Fireworks, But What Is An Active 20-30 Club?
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Today was Groundhog Day and I checked in with many of the groundhogs to see what they had for a forecast. The most famous groundhog”Punxsutawney Phil” led the group that saw there shadow predicting 6 more weeks of Winter. The others in that group are Sun Prairie Jimmy, and Staten Island Chuck. Those not seeing their shadow predicting an early Spring are Malverne Mel, Holtsville Hal, General Lee, and Buckeye Chuck. That’s 4 to 3 in favor of an early Spring. The one groundhog who I haven’t mentioned is Spencer Butte Bob, my personal groundhog. It was bright and sunny this morning so Bob saw his shadow predicting another 6 weeks of winter. Remember, these predictions are about as accurate as flipping a coin, but it is fun to check this out each year.
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No winner this week. Here is my weekly weather quiz question for the last time. What is “Orographic Lifting?” Here is the correct answer. Orographic Lifting is the same as Upslope Flow; occurs when air is forced to rise and cool due to terrain features such as hills or mountains. If the cooling is sufficient, water vapor condenses into clouds. Additional cooling results in rain or snow. It can cause extensive cloudiness and increased amounts of precipitation in higher terrain. I’ll have a new weekly weather quiz question for you 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. Good luck.
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An upper level low (Shaded “U” shape) will be moving away from us as a high pressure ridge (Shaded “Arch” shape) will move toward the coast early in the week and start to dry us out again. Willamette Pass was open this weekend with limited operations due to the low amount of snow. Hoodoo and Mt. Ashland remain closed until significant snow falls again. A frontal system is on its way to us. The chance of rain will continue through Monday then the drying will start.
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Advisories: None At This Time.
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Air Quality Index:
Eugene-Springfield: The Pollution Index is 42 in the Good category measuring Particulate Matter at Amazon Park, Eugene. Data courtesy of Lane Regional Air Protection Agency (LRAPA)
Oakridge: The Pollution Index is 35 in the Good category measuring Particulate Matter at Willamette Activity Center, Oakridge. Data courtesy of Lane Regional Air Protection Agency (LRAPA)
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Home Wood Heating Advisory:
Eugene/Springfield: (YELLOW) Burning Cautioned Against.
Oakridge: (YELLOW) Burning Cautioned Against.
The use of Pellet stoves is always allowed.
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Forecast for the Southern and lower Mid Willamette Valley including Eugene-Springfield and Albany-Corvallis:
- Mostly cloudy with a slight (20%) chance of showers late tonight (under 0.10 in. of rain possible),
- Mostly cloudy with a slight (20%) chance of AM rain and snow showers, good (50%) chance of rain and snow showers Monday afternoon (under 0.10 in. of rain possible, snow level 1,000 ft.), mostly cloudy with areas of fog late Monday night,
- Patchy AM fog, a mix of clouds and sun Tuesday afternoon, partly cloudy and colder at night,
- Partly cloudy Wednesday, mostly clear and cold at night.
- lows 33-18 highs 42-37.
- Sunny Thursday, clear and cold at night,
- Mostly sunny Friday, partly cloudy Friday night,
- Mostly cloudy with rain and snow likely (70%) Saturday, rain likely (60%) at night,
- Then rain likely (70%) Sunday.
- highs 34-48 lows 16-36. (seasonal averages high 49 low 35).
Forecast for the Umpqua Basin including Roseburg:
- Mostly cloudy with a (30%) chance of showers early this evening, a (40%) chance of rain and snow showers late this evening and tonight (under 0.10 in. of rain possible, snow level 2,000 ft. falling to 1,500 ft.late at night),
- Mostly cloudy with a (30%) chance of rain and snow showers Monday (under 0.10 in. of rain possible), a slight (20%) chance of evening rain and snow showers (snow level 2,000 ft.), just mostly cloudy late Monday night (under 0.10 in. of rain possible),
- Mostly cloudy Tuesday AM, partly cloudy in the afternoon Tuesday through Wednesday night.
- lows 34-23 highs 44-40.
- Mostly sunny Thursday and Friday, mostly clear Thursday night, partly cloudy Friday night,
- Mostly cloudy with rain and snow Saturday, then cloudy with rain likely (60%) Saturday night and Sunday.
- highs 37-47 lows 19-42. (seasonal averages high 52 low 37)
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Forecast for the South Oregon Coast including Coos Bay and North Bend:
- Mostly cloudy with a (30%) chance of coastal showers tonight while a (30%) chance of inland showers this evening and a (30%) chance of inland rain and snow showers late tonight (under 0.10 in. of rain possible, snow level 2,000 ft. falling to 1,500 ft. late at night),
- Mostly cloudy with a (30%) chance of coastal showers while a (30%) chance of inland rain and snow showers Monday (under 0.10 in. of rain possible, snow level 1,500 ft. rising to 2,000 ft. in the afternoon), mostly cloudy with a slight (20%) chance of evening showers (evening snow level 2,000 ft.), mostly cloudy Monday night (under 0.10 in. of rain possible) and Tuesday AM, partly cloudy in the afternoon and Tuesday night,
- Then partly cloudy Wednesday and Wednesday night.
- lows 39-26 highs 46-43.
- Mostly sunny Thursday and Friday, mostly clear Thursday night, mostly cloudy Friday night,
- Mostly cloudy with rain Saturday, then rain likely (70%) Saturday night and Sunday.
- highs 40-37 warming to 50 Sunday lows 23-47. (seasonal averages high 52 low 40)
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Forecast for the Cascades of Lane County:
- Mostly cloudy with a (30%) chance of rain and snow showers this evening, a good (50%) chance of snow showers late tonight (0.10 in. of rain possible),
- Mostly cloudy Monday with a good (50%) chance of snow showers, a (30%) chance of snow showers in the evening, a slight (20%) chance of snow showers late Monday night,
- Partly cloudy Tuesday through Wednesday night.
- snow level 4,000 ft. falling to 2,500 ft. late tonight, at the surface Monday and Monday night, free air freezing level at the surface Tuesday through Wednesday night.
- lows 22-5 highs 25-28 cooling to 23 Wednesday.
- Mostly sunny Thursday, clear and cold at night,
- Mostly sunny Friday, partly cloudy Friday night,
- Then mostly cloudy with snow likely (70%) Saturday through Sunday.
- free air freezing level at the surface Thursday through Friday night, then snow level at the surface Saturday through Sunday.
- highs 15-37 lows 5-27.
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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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