Here is my weekly weather quiz question for the last time. What is an“Acre-foot?” Here is the correct answer. An Acre-foot is the amount of water required to cover one acre to a depth of one foot. An acre-foot equals 326,851 gallons, or 43,560 cubic feet. I’ll have a new weekly weather quiz question for you starting Monday. Please remember to post your answer at the bottom of this page. An email will not suffice. The first person to post the correct answer will win a week of free personalized weather forecasts tailored to your needs.  Good luck.

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An upper level high pressure ridge (Shaded “Arch” shape with blue arrows) will be sending us airflow from the Northwest then another upper level trough of low pressure (Shaded “U” shape with blue arrows) moves in behind it. The days 1-3 graphic shows the storm that moisture will still be moving over us with some warmer air. A lot of the ice melted Saturday, but cold overnight temperatures could freeze what is still wet this morning. The combination of the branches rising with melting and being refrozen could result in more trees and branches  falling. The graphic for days 3-7 shows the next storms headed our way Tuesday and Thursday. For mountain snow conditions at the local ski areas check out their websites or give them a call.

Note: Just in case you haven’t noticed “THIS ISN”T WINTER YET!” The Winter Solstice is this Thursday December 22nd at 2:44 AM PST. I hope this current weather pattern isn’t the precursor to a very active Winter Storm season.

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Air Quality Index:

Eugene-Springfield: The Air Quality Index is 63 in the Moderate category measuring Particulate Matter.

Oakridge: The Air Quality Index is 53 in the Moderate category measuring Particulate Matter.

Cottage Grove: The Air Quality Index is 50 in the Good category measuring Particulate Matter.

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

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Home Wood Heating Advisory:

Eugene-Springfield: YELLOW- Caution is Advised.

Oakridge: YELLOW- Caution is Advised.

*Note: Pellet stoves may be used anytime if they produce no visible emissions.

Data courtesy of Lane Regional Air Protection Agency (LRAPA)

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Advisories:

• A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT FROM FROM 4 AM UNTIL 1 PM MONDAY FOR THE WESTERN COLUMBIA RIVER GORGE, THE CENTRAL COLUMBIA RIVER GORGE, AND THE UPPER HOOD RIVER VALLEY.
• A Permanent Health Advisory remains in effect for the South Umpqua River and Lawson Bar. Pools in the bedrock along the rivers edge are known to develop Blue-green Algae (cyanobacterial) blooms that can be harmful to pets and people if accidental ingestion occurs. Signs have been posted along several access areas along the river.

 

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

• Partly cloudy this evening, mostly cloudy late tonight,
• Mostly cloudy and much warmer with rain Monday (0.50 in. of rain possible), Monday night (0.75 in. of rain possible), and Tuesday AM, partly cloudy with a good (50%) chance of rain and a bit warmer Tuesday afternoon (0.25 in. of rain possible), a slight (20%) chance of evening showers, just partly cloudy at night,
• Mostly sunny with patchy fog and a bit cooler Wednesday, becoming cloudy with a slight (20%) chance of rain evening rain, then a good (50%) chance of rain late Wednesday night.
• lows 28-42 cooling to 35 Tuesday night highs 42-50 cooling to 42 Wednesday.
• Mostly cloudy and a bit warmer with rain likely (70%) Thursday, showers likely (70%) at night,
• A good (50%) chance of showers Friday, a (40%) chance of showers Friday night and Saturday,
• Then mostly cloudy with a good (50%) chance of rain Sunday (Christmas Day).
• highs 44-42 warming back to 44 lows near 35. (seasonal averages high 45 low 33)

 

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Forecast for Roseburg:

• Partly cloudy this evening, mostly cloudy late tonight,
• Cloudy  with rain and snow likely (70%) Monday AM (snow level 600 ft. rising to 3,500 ft.), rain and warmer in the afternoon (0.25 in. of rain possible, 1 in. of rain possible), cloudy with rain Monday night (0.25 in. of rain possible) and Tuesday AM, partly cloudy with a good (50%) chance of rain and a bit warmer Tuesday afternoon (0.50 in. of rain possible), partly cloudy in the evening, mostly clear late at night,
• Sunny and a bit cooler Wednesday, then becoming cloudy with a (40%) chance of rain at night.
• lows 32-43 cooling to 36 Tuesday night warming to 38 Wednesday night highs 45-50 cooling back to 45 Wednesday.
• Rain in the AM, showers and a bit warmer Thursday afternoon, evening showers likely (70%), rain and snow showers likely (70%) late Thursday night,
• Mostly cloudy with rain and snow showers likely (70%) and a bit cooler Friday, a (40%) chance of rain and snow Friday night,
• Cloudy and a bit warmer with a slight (20%) chance of rain and snow showers Saturday, a (30%) chance of evening rain and snow showers, a (30%) chance of showers late Saturday night,
• Then mostly cloudy and a bit warmer with a (40%) chance of showers Sunday (Christmas Day).
• highs 47-43 warming to 46 Sunday lows near 38. (seasonal averages high 47 low 36)

 

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Forecast for The South Oregon Coast Including Coos Bay and North Bend:

• Partly cloudy this evening, a mostly cloudy tonight,
• Cloudy  and a bit warmer with coastal rain Monday while inland AM rain and snow likely (70%) and inland rain in the afternoon (0.25 in. of rain possible), rain ( 0.75 in. of rain possible) and breezy (Wind: S 20-30 mph at the shore while S 10-20 mph inland, gusts to 40 mph late evening and at night) Monday night,
• Mostly cloudy with AM rain, a good (50%) chance of afternoon rain and a bit warmer Tuesday (0.50 in. of rain possible), partly cloudy in the evening showers, just mostly clear and colder at night,
• Sunny Wednesday AM, partly cloudy and a bit warmer in the afternoon, then becoming cloudy with a good (50%) chance of rain Wednesday night.
• lows 36-46 cooling back to 36 Tuesday night warming to 43 Wednesday night highs 50-54.
• Rain Thursday AM, showers and a bit cooler in the afternoon, showers likely (70%) Thursday night and Friday, a (40%) chance of showers at night,
• Cloudy with a slight (20%) chance of showers and a bit warmer Saturday, a (30%) chance of showers Saturday night,
• Then mostly cloudy and a bit warmer with a (40%) chance of showers Sunday (Christmas Day).
• highs 50-47 warming back to 50 Sunday lows near 40. (seasonal averages high 51 low 39)

 

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Forecast for the Cascades in Lane County:

• Partly cloudy this evening,  mostly cloudy tonight,
• Mostly cloudy with a good (50%) chance of AM snow, rain and snow and a bit warmer Monday afternoon (0.25 in. of rain possible, 1-3 in. of snow possible), rain Monday night (1.00 in. of rain possible),
• Rain Tuesday AM, snow with rain likely (70%) and a bit warmer in the afternoon, just partly cloudy Tuesday night,
• Mostly sunny and a bit cooler Wednesday, then becoming mostly cloudy with a good (50%) chance of rain and snow  late Wednesday night.
• free air freezing level 3,000 ft. tonight, snow level 2,500 ft. rising to 3,500 ft. Monday afternoon, 7,000 ft. Monday night,7,000 ft. falling to 4,000 ft. Tuesday afternoon, then 3,500 ft. Tuesday night.
• lows 19-32 cooling to 23 Tuesday night warming to 25 Wednesday night highs 34-37 cooling back to 34 Wednesday.
• Mostly cloudy and a bit cooler with snow and rain Thursday, snow showers at night,
• Mostly cloudy with a good (50%) chance of snow showers and a bit cooler Friday, a (40%) chance of snow showers Friday night,
• Mostly cloudy with a (30%) chance of snow showers Saturday and at night,
• Then mostly cloudy and a bit warmer with a good (50%) chance of snow and rain Sunday (Christmas Day).
• snow level 4,000 ft. Thursday, 2,500 ft. Thursday night, at the surface Friday through Saturday, 2,500 ft. Saturday night, then 3,000 ft. Sunday.
• highs 35-32 lows 22-19 warming back to 22 Saturday night.

 

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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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