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Sorry, no winner in this week’s weather quiz.

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Here for the last time is my weekly weather quiz question. One of the most important discoveries in modern Meteorology occurred during World War II. In 1944 our bombers taking part in the first raid on Japan had many of the planes run out of fuel much sooner than expected and many of them had to ditch in the ocean. What caused them to use up so much more fuel and later became one of the major tools in weather forecasting? The answer is the jet stream. The planes hit very strong headwinds at the altitude of the jet stream and used up much more fuel than expected. The jet stream was discovered in the 1930?s but the word didn’t get out until the 1940?s during the war. I’ll have a new weekly weather quiz question for you starting next Monday. The first person to post the correct answer will win a week of free personalized weather forecasts tailored to your needs.

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The upper air flow (yellow jet stream and dark colors for winds) shows a  trough of low pressure swinging down from the Gulf of Alaska (“U” shape offshore) which will be pushing lots of moisture our way. A new frontal system is moving through the Pacific Northwest spreading rain , wind, and higher elevation snow (those snow levels will be dropping). More storm systems will be coming at us next week.

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Advisories:  A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT FROM 1 AM UNTIL 6 PM TODAY FOR THE WESTERN COLUMBIA RIVER GORGE, AND THE UPPER HOOD RIVER VALLEY. A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 4 PM  SUNDAY FOR THE SOUTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN CASCADES, THE SISKIYOU MOUNTAINS, THE KLAMATH BASIN, NORTHERN AND EASTERN KLAMATH COUNTY, AND WESTERN LAKE COUNTY. A WINTER STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 4 PM TODAY FOR  CENTRAL AND EASTERN LAKE COUNTY. A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 12 PM TODAY FOR THE COAST RANGE OF NORTHWEST OREGON. A WIND ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT  UNTIL 3 AM TODAY FOR JACKSON COUNTY.AND UNTIL 10 AM TODAY FOR THE GREATER PORTLAND/VANCOUVER AREA.

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Here are your detailed forecasts. **

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Forecast for the Southern and lower Mid Willamette Valley including Eugene-Springfield and Albany-Corvallis: Mostly cloudy with showers (0.25 in. of rain possible) and  isolated afternoon thunderstorms that could produce higher amounts of rain, showers tonight (0.25 in. of rain possible), showers likely (60%) Sunday AM, showers likely (60%) with a slight (20%) chance of thunderstorms Sunday afternoon (0.25 in. of rain possible thunderstorms could produce higher amounts of rain), and rain Sunday night (0.10 in. of rain possible) highs 45-47 lows near 36. Mostly cloudy with showers likely (60%) Monday, then rain likely (60%-70%) Monday night through Friday highs 44-48 lows near 38. (seasonal averages highs 45 low 33)

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Forecast for the Umpqua Basin including, Roseburg:  Mostly cloudy with rain and isolated thunderstorms this AM, showers and isolated afternoon thunderstorms, small hail possible, (snow level 3,500 ft. falling to 3,000 ft.), evening showers, then rain late tonight, (snow level 3,000 ft. falling to 2,500 ft. late at night), AM rain with afternoon showers Sunday, rain and snow (snow level 2,500 ft. rising to  3,000 ft. late) Sunday night, rain and snow likely (60%) Monday AM, then showers Monday afternoon and night highs 44-47 lows 37-40. Mostly cloudy with rain Tuesday and Tuesday night, then rain likely (60%-70%) Wednesday through Friday highs 44-49 lows 37-40. (seasonal averages high 48 low 35)

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Forecast for the South Oregon Coast including Coos Bay and North Bend: Cloudy with AM rain and isolated thunderstorms today, then afternoon showers and thunderstorms and breezy (wind: S 15-25 mph),  evening coastal showers and isolated thunderstorms, rain and isolated thunderstorms late at night, evening showers inland then rain late at night, coastal rain and isolated thunderstorms Sunday AM, AM rain inland, then showers Sunday afternoon, and rain and windy Sunday night (wind: S 20-30 mph gusts to 45 mph late at night), AM rain likely (60%) Monday, afternoon showers and breezy, then showers Monday night highs near 48 lows 40. Mostly cloudy with rain Tuesday  and Tuesday night, then rain likely (60%-70%) Wednesday through Thursday night, and rain Friday highs 43-50 lows bouncing back and forth between 38-45. (seasonal averages high 53 lows 39).

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Forecast for the Cascades of Lane County: Mostly cloudy with snow showers in the today (3-6 in. of snow possible),  snow showers tonight (1-4 in. of snow possible), snow showers Sunday (2-4 in. of snow possible),   occasional snow Sunday night (2-5 in. of snow possible), rain and snow showers likely (60%) Monday (1-3 in. of snow possible), and snow likely (60%) Monday night snow level 2,500 ft. today and tonight, 3,000 ft. Sunday, 2,500 ft. Sunday night, and 3,000 ft. Monday, and 2,500 ft. Monday night highs 30-32 lows near 25. Mostly cloudy with rain and snow showers likely (60%) Monday, snow and rain likely (60%) Monday night, mostly cloudy with snow likely (60%-70%) Tuesday, then snow and rain likely (60%) Tuesday night through Friday snow level 2,500 ft. Monday through Wednesday,  3,500 ft. Wednesday night, 4,000 ft. Thursday, 5,000 ft. Thursday night, and falling to 4,500 ft. Friday highs 30-34 lows between 23-27.

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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.