Here is my weekly weather quiz question. What is a “Panhandle Hook?”  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 with blue arrows) returned Wednesday and has pushed a frontal system down from the northwest bringing even more rain with mountain snow levels falling. For today it stayed to our north keeping the rain just to our north, but the warm front is coming in. The cold front will follow between Saturday and Saturday night.  Another frontal system will move in Saturday sending rain our way Friday through Sunday.

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Air Quality Index:

Eugene-Springfield: The Air Quality Index is 60 in the Moderate category measuring Particulate Matter.

Oakridge: The Air Quality Index is 11 in the Good category measuring Particulate Matter.

Cottage Grove: The Air Quality Index is 52 in the Moderate category measuring Particulate Matter.

Data courtesy of Lane Regional Air Protection Agency (LRAPA).

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Advisories:

• A HIGH SURF ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT FROM 10 AM UNTIL 10 PM FRIDAY FOR THE NORTH OREGON COAST.
• A HIGH SURF ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT FROM 4 PM FRIDAY UNTIL 10 AM SATURDAY FOR THE SOUTH CENTRAL OREGON COAST AND THE CURRY COUNTY COAST.
• A HEALTH ADVISORY CONTINUES FOR SUNSET BAY STATE PARK BEACH LOCATED IN COOS COUNTY FOR HIGHER-THAN-NORMAL FECAL BACTERIA WHICH CAN RESULT IN DIARRHEA, STOMACH CRAMPS, SKIN RASHES, UPPER RESPIRATORY INFECTIONS AND OTHER ILLNESSES. DIRECT CONTACT WITH THE WATER – ESPECIALLY BY CHILDREN AND THE ELDERLY, WHO MAY BE VULNERABLE TO WATERBORNE BACTERIA – SHOULD BE AVOIDED IN THIS AREA UNTIL THE ADVISORY IS LIFTED. VISITORS SHOULD AVOID WADING IN NEARBY CREEKS, POOLS OF WATER ON THE BEACH, OR IN DISCOLORED WATER AND STAY CLEAR OF WATER RUNOFF FLOWING INTO THE OCEAN.

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

• Cloudy with a good (50%) chance of rain tonight (under 0.10 in. of rain possible),
• Cloudy with a slight (20%) chance of rain Friday AM, a good (50%) chance of rain in the afternoon (under 0.10 in. of rain possible), a good (50%) chance of rain late at night (0.10 in. of rain possible),
• Cloudy with a good (50%) chance of rain Saturday, rain Saturday night,
• Then mostly cloudy with showers likely (70%) and a bit cooler Sunday and Sunday night.
• lows 45-47 cooling to 37 Sunday night highs 57-60 cooling to 50 Sunday.
• Mostly cloudy with rain Monday through Tuesday, cloudy with a good (50%) chance of rain Tuesday night and Wednesday, a good (50%) chance of showers Wednesday night,
• Then a mix of clouds and sun with a (40%) chance of showers Thursday.
• highs 49-56 cooling to near 50 Thursday lows 45-47 cooling to 42 Wednesday night. (seasonal averages high 53 low 38)

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Your Saturday College Football Forecast:

Ducks vs Stanford at Stanford Stadium, Stanford, CA– Kickoff 4:30 PM PST: Mostly sunny, becoming partly cloudy then mostly cloudy, slight chance of evening showers, 65 cooling as the game progresses, wind NW 10-15 mph.

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Beavers vs California at Memorial Stadium Berkeley, CA- Kickoff 7:30 PM PST: Becoming mostly cloudy, chance of showers developing, 57 cooling a bit as the game progresses, wind SW 10-15 mph at night.

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Forecast for Roseburg:

• Cloudy with a good (50%) chance of rain tonight and Friday, mostly cloudy with a slight (20%) chance of rain Friday night (under 0.10 in. of rain possible),
• Cloudy with a (30%) chance of rain Saturday, rain Saturday night,
• Mostly cloudy with showers likely (70%) and cooler Sunday and Sunday night.
• lows 42-45 cooling to near 40 Saturday night highs 53-62 cooling to 57 Saturday.
• Mostly cloudy with rain Monday through Tuesday night,
• Showers likely (70%) Wednesday and at night,
• Then mostly cloudy with a (%) chance of showers Thursday.
• highs 49-57 cooling to 52 Wednesday lows 36-47. (seasonal averages high 54 low 41)

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

• Cloudy with a slight (20%) chance of rain tonight and Friday, a (30%) chance of rain Friday night (under 0.10 in. of rain possible),
• Cloudy with a chance of AM rain Saturday, coastal afternoon rain while inland afternoon rain likely (70%), rain Saturday night,
• Mostly cloudy with showers likely (60%) and a slight (20%) chance of thunderstorms Sunday, then cloudy with a good (50%) chance of showers at night.
• lows 48-53 cooling to 45 Saturday night highs 56-60.
• Mostly cloudy with rain Monday and Monday night,
• Rain and breezy Tuesday and Tuesday night,
• Mostly cloudy with showers likely (70%) Wednesday and Wednesday night,
• Then mostly cloudy with a good (50%) chance of showers Thursday.
• highs 52-58 cooling to 54 Wednesday lows 43-50. (seasonal averages high 55 low 43).

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Forecast for the Cascades in Lane County:

• Cloudy with a slight (20%) chance of rain and snow this evening, a slight (20%) chance of rain late tonight,
• Cloudy with a slight (20%) chance of rain Friday, mostly cloudy with a slight (20%) chance of rain Friday night,
• Cloudy with a slight (20%) chance of rain Saturday AM, a good (50%) chance of  rain in the afternoon, rain in the evening, rain and snow and colder late at night,
• Rain and snow showers Sunday, then snow showers likely (70%) Sunday night.
• snow level 5,000 ft. rising to 6,000 ft. late tonight, 8,000 ft. Friday, 6,000 ft. Saturday, 6,500 ft. falling to 5,500 ft. late Saturday night, 3,000 ft. Sunday, then at the surface Sunday night.
• lows 33-33 cooling to 26 Sunday night highs 48-33.
• Mostly cloudy with rain and snow Monday and Monday night,
• Rain Tuesday, rain likely (70%) at night,
• Mostly cloudy with rain and snow likely (70%) Wednesday, a good (50%) chance of rain and snow showers Wednesday night,
• Then a mix of clouds and sun with a good (50%) chance of rain and snow showers Thursday.
• snow level 3,000 ft. Monday, 5,000 ft. Monday night, 7,000 ft. Tuesday, 6,500 ft. Tuesday night, 4,500 ft. Wednesday, 4,000 ft. Wednesday night, then 4,500 ft. Thursday.
• highs 35-42 cooling to 36 Wednesday lows 22-33.

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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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