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Check out my latest Eugene Daily News Weather Or Not Column No, We Didn’t Have To Use The “D” Word In 2014.

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And don’t forget my latest feature story in the continuing series on service club organizations called This Moose Isn’t Called Bullwinkle.

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No winner this week. Here is my weekly weather quiz question for the last time. What is a “ hodograph?” Here is the correct answer. A Hodograph is a polar coordinate graph which shows the vertical wind profile of the lowest 7000 meters of the atmosphere. These plots are used to determine the advection patterns aloft, whether a thunderstorm will rotate, and the type of thunderstorms that you will likely see that day. I’ll have a new weekly weather quiz question for you starting 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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A warm front that moved northward through Oregon has brought some heavy rain to the area, particularly near the coast. The cold front is moving right behind the warm front. A high pressure ridge is moving eastward away from us allowing a southwesterly airflow to grab that fetch of subtropical moisture and shoot it our way. Skiers note – Hoodoo, Willamette Pass, and Mt. Ashland are all closed for now. They say they will be opening again when enough snow falls. Check their websites for conditions and specific schedules.

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Air Quality Index:

Eugene-Springfield: The Air Quality Index is 15 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 39 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: GREEN – Burning is Allowed.

Oakridge: GREEN – Burning is Allowed.

(The use of Pellet stoves is always allowed.)

Advisory Courtesy of Lane Regional Air Protection Agency (LRAPA)

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Advisories:

• A HIGH WIND WARNING IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 3 AM TODAY FOR THE NORTH OREGON COAST AND THE CENTRAL OREGON COAST.
• A HIGH WIND WARNING IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 4 PM TODAY FOR NORTHERN AND EASTERN KLAMATH COUNTY, AND WESTERN, CENTRAL, AND EASTERN LAKE COUNTY.
• A HEALTH ADVISORY CONTINUES FOR THE PRESENCE OF BLUE-GREEN ALGAE AT LOST CREEK LAKE , LOCATED 30 MILES NORTHEAST OF MEDFORD ON THE ROGUE RIVER IN JACKSON COUNTY AND AT DEVILS LAKE IN LINCOLN COUNTY. THE TOXIC ALGAE BLOOM MEANS THAT PEOPLE SHOULD NOT DRINK OR HAVE DIRECT CONTACT WITH THE AFFECTED WATER AND THAT ALSO GOES FOR ANY PETS.

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

• Mostly cloudy with showers today (0.25 in. of rain possible), evening showers likely (60%),  a good (50%) chance of showers tonight (0.10 in. of rain possible),
• Patchy fog with a slight (20%) chance of showers Monday AM, a mix of clouds and sun in the afternoon (Martin Luther King, Jr. Day), partly cloudy in the evening, mostly cloudy with areas of  fog late at night,
• Mostly cloudy with areas of fog Tuesday AM, partly cloudy with areas of fog in the afternoon and evening, then cloudy with areas of fog late Tuesday night.
• highs 52-49 lows 42-34 warming to 37 Tuesday night.
• Cloudy with areas of AM fog, a mix of clouds and sun with areas of fog Wednesday afternoon, mostly cloudy with patchy fog at night,
• Patchy AM fog, mostly cloudy Thursday and Thursday night,
• Mostly cloudy with a (30%) chance of rain Friday, a (30%) chance of showers at night,
• Then a mix of clouds and sun Saturday.
• highs 49-55 lows near 40. (seasonal averages high 47 low 34).

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Forecast for the Umpqua Basin including Roseburg:

• AM showers, showers likely (70%) this afternoon (0.10 in. of rain possible), a (40%) chance of showers and colder tonight (under 0.10 in. of rain possible),
• Mostly cloudy with a slight (20%) chance of AM showers Monday (Martin Luther King, Jr. Day), just partly cloudy in the afternoon, mostly clear in the evening, partly cloudy with patchy fog late Monday night,
• Areas of AM and late night fog mostly sunny Tuesday afternoon, mostly clear Tuesday night.
• highs 57-47 lows 40-37.
• Sunny with areas of AM fog, partly cloudy in the afternoon, mostly cloudy with areas of fog late Wednesday night through Thursday night,
• Mostly cloudy with areas of fog, a slight (20%) chance of rain Friday afternoon, areas of fog at night,
• Areas of AM fog, then partly cloudy Saturday.
• highs 50-56 lows 39-42. (seasonal averages high 50 low 37)

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

• AM showers, showers likely (60%) this afternoon (under 0.10 in. of rain possible), coastal evening showers likely (60%) and a good (50%) chance of showers late tonight while a good (50%) chance of inland showers tonight (under 0.10 in. of rain possible),
• Mostly cloudy with a slight (20%) chance of morning showers, just partly cloudy Monday afternoon (Martin Luther King, Jr. Day), mostly clear in the evening at the shore and partly cloudy at night while patchy fog inland fog late Monday night,
• Areas of AM and late night fog, mostly sunny Tuesday afternoon, then mostly clear Tuesday night.
• highs 55-50 lows 44-39.
• Areas of AM fog, partly cloudy Wednesday afternoon, mostly cloudy with areas of fog Wednesday night,
• Areas of AM fog, mostly cloudy with a slight (20%) chance of rain with lingering fog Thursday through Friday afternoon, then mostly cloudy with areas of fog Friday night and Saturday.
• highs 57-60 lows 45-48. (seasonal averages high 52 low 40)

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Forecast for the Cascades in Lane County:

• AM showers, rain and snow showers this afternoon (0.25 in. of rain possible, 1 in. of snow possible), rain and snow showers likely (70%) in the evening, a good (50%) chance of rain and snow showers tonight (0.10 in. of rain possible, 1 in. of snow possible),
• A mix of clouds and sun with a (40%) chance of rain and snow showers Monday AM, (Martin Luther King, Jr. Day), a slight (20%) chance of snow showers in the afternoon, just partly cloudy Monday night,
• Mostly sunny Tuesday, then mostly clear at night.
• snow level 6,000 ft. falling to 4,500 ft. today, 4,500 ft. tonight, 4,000 ft. Monday, free air freezing level 5,500 Monday night, 6,500 ft. Tuesday, then 7,500 ft. Tuesday night.
• highs 39-42 lows 29-26 warming to 30 Tuesday night.
• Mostly sunny Wednesday, partly cloudy in the evening, mostly cloudy Wednesday night through Thursday night,
• Mostly cloudy with a slight (20%) chance of rain Friday, a (30%) chance of showers Friday night,
• Then just partly cloudy Saturday.
• free air freezing level 8,000 ft. Wednesday, 9,000 ft. Wednesday night through Thursday night, above 8,000 ft. Friday and Friday night, then free air freezing level 11,000 ft. Saturday.
• highs 45-49 lows near 32.

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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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