High Wind Watch 2, NWS Pendleton, OR

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PENDLETON OR
240 PM PST THU JAN 3 2008

CORRECTED HEADLINE SECTION AT BOTTOM

.SHORT TERM...TODAY THROUGH SUNDAY. A BROAD UPPER LEVEL TROUGH OFF
THE EASTERN PACIFIC AND THE PACIFIC NW HAS SEVERAL EMBEDDED LOWS
ASSOCIATED WITH IT THAT WILL BRING PRECIPITATION AND WINDS ACROSS
THE FORECAST AREA THROUGH THE SHORT TERM.  CURRENTLY...A 977MB
SURFACE LOW JUST WEST OF VANCOUVER ISLAND WILL MOVE E-NE AND A
PACIFIC FRONT WILL BRING PRECIPITATION ACROSS THE AREA THIS
EVENING.  SURFACE GRADIENTS ARE VERY TIGHT DUE TO THIS APPROACHING
FRONT AND A SURFACE HIGH OVER THE LOWER TREASURE VALLEY.  WINDS HAVE
INCREASED OVER MOST OF EASTERN OREGON AND SE WASHINGTON...AND
SOUTHERLY WINDS HAVE WARMED TEMPERATURES SIGNIFICANTLY OVER MOST OF
THE AREA.  THIS HAS MADE FOR A CHALLENGING TEMPERATURE FORECAST...AS
TEMPERATURES TONIGHT WILL BE NEAR OR EVEN A LITTLE WARMER COMPARED
TO THE CURRENT TEMPERATURES FOR THE LOWER COLUMBIA BASIN...THE BLUE
MTN FOOTHILLS...AND SOME OF THE VALLEYS IN CENTRAL AND EASTERN
OREGON.  WIND GUSTS TO NEAR 40 MPH ARE EXPECTED ALONG THE BLUE MTN
FOOTHILLS AND THE WALLOWA VALLEY...JUST SHY OF WIND ADVISORY
CRITERIA.  STRONG WINDS WILL RETURN TO THE GRANDE RONDE VALLEY...SO
WILL ISSUE A HIGH WIND WARNING  BEGINNING AT 3 PM THROUGH 10 PM
FRIDAY EVENING.

COLD AIR REMAINS TRAPPED ALONG THE EAST SLOPES OF THE WA
CASCADES AND THE KITTITAS VALLEY...SO PRECIPITATION TONIGHT WILL
INITIALLY START AS SNOW AND CHANGE TO RAIN AT ELEVATIONS BELOW 2000
FEET ON FRIDAY.  WILL HOLD OFF ON ANY SNOW ADVISORIES FOR
FRIDAY...ALTHOUGH LOCAL ACCUMULATIONS COULD BE NEAR 4-5 INCHES ALONG
THE EAST SLOPES OF THE CENTRAL WASHINGTON CASCADES.

WINDS WILL MEET ADVISORY CRITERIA OVER PORTIONS OF EASTERN OREGON
AND SE WASHINGTON ON FRIDAY...AND THERE IS A GOOD POTENTIAL FOR
DAMAGING WINDS IN THE WALLOWA VALLEY...THE BLUE MOUNTAIN
FOOTHILLS...THE JOHN DAY BASIN AND HIGHLANDS. WILL ISSUE A HIGH WIND
WATCH FOR THESE AREAS.  BLOWING SNOW WILL BE LESS OF A CONCERN ON
FRIDAY...AS SNOW LEVELS INCREASE TO AROUND 5000 FEET AND SNOW WILL
PACK DOWN AS PRECIPITATION CHANGES OVER TO RAIN OR WET SNOW.

THE 959MB SURFACE LOW RESPONSIBLE FOR THE STRONG WINDS AND
WIDESPREAD PRECIPITATION WILL MOVE INTO BRITISH COLUMBIA FOLLOWED BY
A MOIST WESTERLY FLOW ALOFT SATURDAY FOR CONTINUED SHOWERS AND
BREEZY/WINDY CONDITIONS.  85

SATURDAY NIGHT AND SUNDAY...SNOW LEVELS WILL FALL TO AS LOW AS 500
FEET MSL SATURDAY NIGHT AND WILL NOT RISE MUCH SUNDAY.  A QUICK
MOVING UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE WILL MOVE FROM SOUTHWEST TO NORTHEAST
LATE SATURDAY NIGHT AND SUNDAY. THIS DISTURBANCE MAY BRING A BRIEF
PERIOD OF HEAVY SNOW...BUT AMOUNTS ARE NOT EXPECTED TO REACH
ADVISORY LEVELS.  80

.LONG TERM...SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY...THE EXTENDED FORECAST
PERIOD WILL REMAIN ACTIVE WITH SEVERAL LOW PRESSURE SYSTEMS AND
FRONTS MOVING ACROSS THE REGION. WILL INDICATE MOSTLY CLOUDY WITH A
CHANCE OF RAIN AND SNOW EACH DAY. AT THIS POINT THURSDAY WILL BE THE
DAY WITH THE LOWEST PROBABILITY OF PRECIPITATION AS HIGH PRESSURE IS
STARTING TO BUILD ACROSS THE AREA. TEMPERATURES WILL BE CLOSE TO
NORMAL THROUGH THE PERIOD.  94

&&

.AVIATION...VFR CONDITIONS EXPECTED FOR THE NEXT 24 HOURS. FRONT
MOVING THROUGH THIS EVENING WILL KEEP CEILINGS AT 040-080 WITH
SCATTERED SHOWERS. A BREAK OVERNIGHT BEHIND THE FRONT WITH CEILINGS
RISING A BIT. NEXT STORM WILL BRING ANOTHER CHANCE OF RAIN ON FRIDAY
WITH LOWERING CEILINGS. LOWEST CEILINGS AND BEST CHANCE OF
PRECIPITATION WILL BE AT YKM DLS. AS FOR WIND...SHOULD SEE
INCREASING SOUTHERLY WINDS OVER THE NEXT 24 HOURS AS STRONG LOW
PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL IMPACT THE REGION ON FRIDAY. STRONG GUSTY WINDS
LIKELY AT RDM PDT ALW PSC ON FRIDAY.  94

&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
PDT  41  57  39  46 /  30  50  30  30
ALW  40  59  41  48 /  30  50  30  30
PSC  36  50  38  46 /  40  60  30  20
YKM  34  40  34  40 /  60  60  50  30
HRI  36  53  39  47 /  40  60  30  20
ELN  32  36  31  36 /  60  60  60  30
RDM  38  47  35  39 /  50  70  60  40
LGD  38  44  36  38 /  40  60  50  40
GCD  35  45  34  37 /  40  70  60  40
DLS  35  43  38  45 /  60  60  50  30

&&

.PDT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
OR...HIGH WIND WATCH FROM FRIDAY MORNING THROUGH FRIDAY EVENING FOR
     ORZ050-501-505-506.

     HIGH WIND WARNING UNTIL 10 PM PST FRIDAY FOR ORZ049.

     WIND ADVISORY FROM 8 AM FRIDAY MORNING THROUGH 10 PM PST FRIDAY
     EVENING FOR ORZ043-504.

WA...HIGH WIND WATCH FROM FRIDAY MORNING THROUGH FRIDAY EVENING FOR
     WAZ029.

&&

TI:RGG
FOR ADDITIONAL WEATHER INFORMATION, CHECK OUR WEB SITE AT...
WWW.WEATHER.GOV/PENDLETON
85/94/94

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PENDLETON OR
1014 AM PST THU JAN 3 2008

UPDATED TO REMOVE WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY

ORZ041>044-049-050-501>506-WAZ024-026>030-501-502-041415-
EASTERN COLUMBIA RIVER GORGE OF OREGON-NORTH CENTRAL OREGON-
CENTRAL OREGON-LOWER COLUMBIA BASIN OF OREGON-GRANDE RONDE VALLEY-
WALLOWA COUNTY-FOOTHILLS OF THE BLUE MOUNTAINS OF OREGON-
NORTHERN BLUE MOUNTAINS OF OREGON-
SOUTHERN BLUE MOUNTAINS OF OREGON-
NORTHERN WHEELER AND SOUTHERN GILLIAM COUNTIES-JOHN DAY BASIN-
OCHOCO-JOHN DAY HIGHLANDS-
EASTERN COLUMBIA RIVER GORGE OF WASHINGTON-KITTITAS VALLEY-
YAKIMA VALLEY-LOWER COLUMBIA BASIN OF WASHINGTON-
FOOTHILLS OF THE BLUE MOUNTAINS OF WASHINGTON-
NORTHWEST BLUE MOUNTAINS-
EAST SLOPES OF THE CENTRAL CASCADES OF WASHINGTON-
EAST SLOPES OF THE SOUTHERN CASCADES OF WASHINGTON-
1014 AM PST THU JAN 3 2008

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR CENTRAL AND NORTHEAST OREGON
AS WELL AS SOUTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST WASHINGTON.

.DAY ONE...

STRONG WIND
     GRANDE RONDE VALLEY

IN THE GRANDE RONDE VALLEY STRONG SURFACE PRESSURE GRADIENTS ARE
CAUSING STRONG SURFACE WINDS...ESPECIALLY NEAR LADD AND PYLES
CANYONS. THESE WINDS WILL PERSIST THROUGH THIS EVENING. WIND SPEEDS
OF 35 TO 45 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 55 MPH CAN BE EXPECTED NEAR LADD AND
PYLES CANYONS...WITH WINDS OF 25 TO 35 MPH AND GUSTS TO 45 MPH
ELSEWHERE IN THE GRANDE RONDE VALLEY. A WIND ADVISORY WILL REMAIN IN
EFFECT TODAY AND THIS EVENING UNTIL 10 PM. PLEASE REFER TO NWS
PRODUCT ID PDXNPWPDT FOR MORE DETAILS.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...

STRONG WIND FRIDAY
     GRANDE RONDE VALLEY

ANOTHER STRONG WEATHER SYSTEM WILL MOVE INTO THE REGION EARLY
FRIDAY MORNING CAUSING TIGHT SURFACE PRESSURE GRADIENTS AND STRONG
WINDS AGAIN IN THE GRANDE RONDE VALLEY FROM EARLY FRIDAY MORNING
UNTIL LATE FRIDAY EVENING. WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO INCREASE TO 40 TO
50 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 60 MPH...WITH THE STRONGEST WINDS IN THE
SOUTHERN GRANDE RONDE VALLEY NEAR LADD AND PYLES CANYONS. PLEASE
REFER TO NWS PRODUCT ID PDXNPWPDT FOR MORE DETAILS.

FREQUENT WEATHER SYSTEMS IN AN OVERALL WEST TO SOUTHWEST FLOW ALOFT
WILL KEEP UNSETTLED SHOWERY CONDITIONS OVER THE REGION THROUGH THE
MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED.

WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER
CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES.

GRAPHICAL FORECASTS OF WEATHER HAZARDS OUT TO SEVEN DAYS
ARE DISPLAYED ON THE WORLD WIDE WEB AT:

WWW.WRH.NOAA.GOV/PDT/CURRENTHAZARDS/HWO.HTML

ALL LETTERS IN THE ABOVE URL ARE LOWER CASE...EXCEPT THE H IN
CURRENTHAZARDS.