Here is my weekly weather quiz question. What is “the chromosphere?” 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 Omega Blocking high pressure ridge (Shaded “Arch” shaped like the Greek letter Omega with blue arrows) is settling over the Pacific Northwest. Cold Canadian air has dried us out and given us the coldest temperatures of the season so far, particularly at night. Remember to be careful in the mountains due to the new snowfall and potentially icy driving conditions. A frontal system will be on its way to the Oregon coast Monday bringing back the slight chance of rain by Tuesday night.

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Air Quality Index:

Eugene-Springfield: The Air Quality Index is 116 in the Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups category measuring Particulate Matter.

Oakridge: The Air Quality Index is 88 in the Moderate category measuring Particulate Matter.

Cottage Grove: The Air Quality Index is 32 in the Good category measuring Particulate Matter.

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

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Advisories:

• 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:

• Sunny today, Saturday and Sunday with patchy AM and late night freezing fog, cold each night, clear tonight, mostly clear Saturday night and Sunday night.
• highs 45-40 lows near 22.
• AM freezing fog, partly cloudy Monday and Monday night,
• A mix of clouds and sun Tuesday, becoming mostly cloudy with a slight (20%) of rain Tuesday night,
• Mostly cloudy with a good (50%) chance of rain Wednesday and Wednesday night,
• Then rain likely (60%) Thursday.
• highs 42-48 lows 27-37. (seasonal averages high 49 low 36)

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Your College Football Forecast:

The Civil War Game:

Ducks vs Beavers at Autzen Stadium – Kickoff 1:00 PM PST: Sunny and cool, 35 warming near 44 by the end of the game, wind N 5-15 mph. You should bundle up that’s pretty chilly.

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Forecast for Roseburg:

• Clear with patchy freezing fog this AM, sunny this afternoon, clear this evening, partly cloudy with patchy freezing fog late tonight and Saturday AM, sunny in the afternoon, clear at night,
• Sunny Sunday, then mostly clear Sunday night.
• highs 40-43 lows 28-32.
• Mostly cloudy and a bit warmer with a slight (20%) chance of rain Monday and Monday night,
• Mostly cloudy and a bit warmer with a slight (20%) chance of rain Tuesday, mostly cloudy with a (40%) chance of rain Tuesday night through Wednesday night,
• Then mostly cloudy with rain likely (70%) Thursday.
• highs 47-52 lows 36-42. (seasonal averages high 50 low 39)

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

• Sunny today and Saturday, and Sunday, clear Friday night and Saturday night, mostly clear Sunday evening, then partly cloudy late Sunday night.
• highs near 53 lows 32-39.
• Mostly cloudy with a slight (20%) chance of rain Monday through Tuesday, cloudy with a (40%) chance of rain Tuesday night,
• Then rain likely (60%) Wednesday through Thursday.
• highs 54-56 lows 40-46. (seasonal averages high 53 low 41).

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Forecast for the Cascades in Lane County:

•  Sunny and breezy (Wind: E 15-25 mph gusts to 35 mph) today, clear and cold tonight,
• Sunny Saturday and Sunday, clear and cold Saturday night, then partly cloudy and cold Sunday night.
• free air freezing level 6,000 ft. today, 5,000 ft. tonight, 6,000 ft. Saturday, 6,500 ft. Saturday night, 5,000 ft. Sunday, then 5,000 ft. Sunday night.
• highs near 35 lows 14-18.
• Partly cloudy and a bit warmer Monday, mostly cloudy Monday night,
• A mix of clouds and sun Tuesday, mostly cloudy with a slight (20%) chance of rain and snow Tuesday night,
• Mostly cloudy with a good (50%) chance of rain and snow Wednesday and Wednesday night,
• Then rain and snow likely (60%) Thursday.
• free air freezing level 7,500 ft. Monday, 8,000 ft. Monday night, 7,500 ft. Tuesday, snow level 5,500 ft. Tuesday night and Wednesday, then 6,000 ft. Wednesday night and Thursday.
• highs 35-38 lows 22-30.

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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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