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Check out my latest Eugene Daily News Weather Or Not Column Oregon Was The First State To Make It A Holiday.

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And don’t forget my latest feature story in the continuing series on service club organizations called “Buffalo Isn’t Only Known For Its Wings.”

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Here is my new weekly weather quiz question. What is  “popcorn convection?” 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 high pressure ridge (Shaded “Arch” shape with blue arrows) has taken control of our weather. It will be sunny and actually hot for the next two days. As the winds strengthen from the east we will see more smoke from the wildfire near Oakridge penetrate into the valley areas Friday and Saturday. A cold front will move into Oregon between Sunday night and Monday afternoon hopefully cleaning the smoke from the valley.

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Advisories:

• A RED FLAG WARNING IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 11 PM TONIGHT FOR STRONG WINDS AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY FOR FIRE FOR THE UMPQUA NATIONAL FOREST, THE WESTERN ROGUE RIVER, THE SISKIYOU NATIONAL FOREST, THE WESTERN ROGUE BASIN INCLUDING THE ILLINOIS VALLEY, THE SISKIYOU MOUNTAINS, THE EASTERN ROGUE VALLEY, AND THE SOUTHERN OREGON CASCADES.
• A RED FLAG WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR WIND AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY IN ADDITION TO CRITICALLY DRY AND AND UNSTABLE CONDITIONS UNTIL 11 PM SATURDAY FOR ALL OF WESTERN OREGON FROM THE COAST TO THE WEST SLOPES OF THE NORTHERN AND CENTRAL CASCADES.
• A RED FLAG WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR WIND AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY IN ADDITION TO CRITICALLY DRY AND AND UNSTABLE CONDITIONS FROM NOON UNTIL 8 PM TONIGHT FOR THE EAST SLOPES OF THE CENTRAL OREGON CASCADES AND THE EAST SLOPES OF THE NORTHERN OREGON CASCADES.
• A HEALTH ADVISORY CONTINUES FOR THE PRESENCE OF BLUE-GREEN ALGAE FOR WALTERVILLE POND IN LANE COUNTY AND AT DEVILS LAKE IN LINCOLN COUNTY. THE TOXIC ALGAE BLOOM MEANS THAT PEOPLE SHOULD NOT HAVE DIRECT CONTACT WITH THE AFFECTED WATER AND THAT ALSO GOES FOR ANY PETS.

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Air Quality Index:

Eugene-Springfield: The Air Quality Index is 41 in the Good category measuring Particulate Matter at HWY 99, Eugene. Data courtesy of Lane Regional Air Protection Agency (LRAPA)

Oakridge: The Air Quality Index is 54 in the Moderate category measuring Particulate Matter at Willamette Activity Center, Oakridge. Data courtesy of Lane Regional Air Protection Agency (LRAPA)

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Your Saturday College Football Forecasts:

Ducks vs Michigan State at Autzen Stadium Eugene: Kickoff 3:30 pm – mostly sunny with patchy smoke, temperature near 92 warming to near 95 then cooling through the 80s as the game progresses. Dress for the heat, use plenty of sunscreen, and drink plenty of water to stay hydrated at the game, or for that matter, if you’re outside anywhere else.

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Beavers vs Hawaii at Aloha Stadium Honolulu, HI: Kickoff 7:30 pm (4:30 pm Hawaii time) -mostly sunny temperature near 87 cooling to near 80 and mostly clear as the game finishes.

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Forecast for the Southern and lower Mid Willamette Valley including Eugene-Springfield and Albany-Corvallis:

• Sunny and hot with patchy smoke today (wind gusting to 25 mph this afternoon) and Saturday, clear with patchy smoke both nights,
• Mostly sunny and a bit cooler Sunday, clear in the evening, partly cloudy Sunday night.
• highs 95-92 lows 46-52.
• Partly cloudy Monday and in the evening, mostly cloudy at night,
• A mix of clouds and sun and cooler Tuesday, partly cloudy Tuesday night and Wednesday AM, mostly sunny in the afternoon, mostly clear at night,
• Then sunny Thursday.
• highs 87-80 warming to 88 Thursday lows 54-50 warming to 52 Wednesday night. (seasonal averages high 80 low 49)

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Forecast for the Umpqua Basin including Roseburg:

• Sunny today, Saturday, and Sunday, clear tonight and Saturday night, clear Sunday evening, then partly cloudy late at night.
• highs 99-100 cooling to 93 Sunday lows 57-55.
• Partly cloudy Monday through Wednesday night,
• Then sunny Thursday.
• highs 88-82 warming to 90 Thursday lows near 55. (seasonal averages high 82 low 53)

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Forecast for the South Oregon Coast including Coos Bay and North Bend:

• Sunny with inland haze this afternoon, clear with inland haze tonight,
• Mostly cloudy with patchy coastal fog while sunny inland Saturday, partly cloudy with patchy evening coastal fog and mostly cloudy at night while clear with areas of inland fog late Saturday night,
• Mostly cloudy with areas of AM fog, partly cloudy with patchy fog Sunday afternoon, partly cloudy in the evening, mostly cloudy late Sunday night.
• highs 79-66 lows 56-52 warming to 54 Sunday night.
• Mostly cloudy Monday and Monday night,
• Mostly cloudy Tuesday, then partly cloudy Tuesday night through Thursday.
• highs near 67 lows near 55. (seasonal averages high 66 low 52)

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Forecast for the Cascades in Lane County:

• Sunny with patchy smoke and warmer today, clear with patchy smoke tonight with wind gusting to 20 mph,
• Mostly sunny with patchy smoke Saturday, clear with patchy smoke in the evening, clear at night,
• Mostly sunny Sunday, mostly clear at night.
• free air freezing level 14,000 ft. today through Saturday night, then 13,000 ft. Sunday and Sunday night.
• highs 78-80 lows 44-46.
• Partly cloudy Monday, partly cloudy with a slight (20%) chance of showers late Monday night and Tuesday AM, partly cloudy in the afternoon through Wednesday night,
• Then mostly sunny Thursday.
• free air freezing level 13,000 ft. Monday, snow level above 8,000 ft. Monday night and Tuesday, free air freezing level 14,000 ft. Tuesday night, then 15,000 ft. Wednesday ad Wednesday night,
• Then mostly sunny Thursday.
• highs 74-68 warming to 73 Thursday lows 42-47.

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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 and Lane County news on-line at EugeneDailyNews.com.

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