We'll warm up today with high temps in the mid 80's to near 90, lows upper 40's-around 50. Winds today will blow from east to west, some gusts to 15-20 mph possible. This may cause areas of smoke and haze from the fires that are to our east. Because of these "easterly" winds, the NWS has a Red Flag Warning in effect for our area from 1pm-8pm today only (Saturday). At some point tomorrow (Sunday), winds will shift to blow from west to east (more typical). Tomorrow also looks a little cooler with less haze: highs low-mid 80's, lows mid-upper 40's. Next week will be cooler, with highs mostly 75-80. By the way, our normal high/low temperatures are near 82/50, respectively. Regarding rainfall, dry conditions are favored through Thursday. Some uncertainty arises later Friday. Hurricane Ida may have an impact on west coast weather next week by possibly creating a "log jam" and/or affecting the jet stream. I'll talk about this in my next update on Monday.
Hurricane Ida will make landfall in Louisiana as a major hurricane tomorrow morning (Sunday) with widespread devastation expected. Prayers are certainly needed for the people that will be affected.
Here's the Red Flag Warning for our area issued by the NWS:
840 AM PDT Sat Aug 28 2021...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 1 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO 8 PM THIS EVENING FOR WIND AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY FOR FIRE WEATHER ZONE 604...The National Weather Service in Portland has issued a Red Flag Warning for wind and low relative humidity, which is in effect from 1 PM this afternoon to 8 PM this evening.
* Affected Area...The southern half of the Willamette Valley.
* Winds...North 10 to 15 mph with gusts up to 25 mph.* Relative Humidity...Lowering to 20 to 25 percent.
* Impacts...Conditions may be favorable for rapid fire spread which may threaten life and property. Use extra caution with potential ignition sources, especially in grassy areas. Avoid outdoor burning.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...A Red Flag Warning means that critical fire weather conditionsare either occurring now, or will shortly. A combination of theabove conditions can contribute to extreme fire behavior.
