Marine Weather and Tide Forecast for Junction City, OR

DISCUSSION
Tonight through Thursday...Zonal flow across the PacNW will persist through much of Friday, supporting onshore flow and light rain showers. Shower activity will be mainly across southwest WA and the northwest Oregon coast range with totals of a few hundredths. Cool temps are expected again with mid to upper 60s inland and upper 50s along the coast. Slightly warmer temps are expected across the southern portion of the area due to breaks in cloud cover and less of a chance for precipitation.

The next system approaches the PacNW from the northwest as a shortwave digs along the British Columbia coast tonight into Saturday. This will bring another round of widespread showers through Saturday night. Another, stronger system will move over Vancouver Island and across WA during the latter half of Saturday, supporting northwest flow in the upper levels. This will also bring a slight chance (10-20%) of thunderstorms to the area for Saturday afternoon/evening. Persistent showers will likely produce a bit more substantial rainfall amounts, including a 30-50% chance of exceeding 0.25 inch through Saturday night across much of the forecast area.
Showers will likely persist along the higher terrain, including the Cascade foothills, where amounts closer to 0.50-1.00 inch of total (48-hr) rainfall through 5 pm Sunday.

Conditions trend drier on Sunday, though light showers will persist into the afternoon. Weak ridging will build into the region, supporting partly sunny skies though temps will remain 5-8 degrees below average, topping out in the low 60s inland. Model agreement is increasing for another weak system to cross the region on Monday with another round of light rain showers expected. Zonal flow with another embedded disturbance passing to the north may maintain light showers into Tuesday. Agreement degrades middle to end of next week with cluster analysis showing split pretty equally between ridging and troughing. -Batz

AVIATION
At 18z Friday, mixed VFR/MVFR cigs continue across the region with rain showers generally along and north of a line from KTMK to KPDX. Inland, cigs expected to improve to VFR by 18- 20z. Along the coast, MVFR with occasional IFR conditions expected to continue through the TAF period, though a few hours of improved conditions possible 20z Friday through 03z Saturday. Another frontal system is expected to bring a round of widespread showers and the return of MVFR/IFR cigs along the coast by 03-06z Saturday and MFR cigs inland by 06-09z Saturday. Southerly to southwesterly winds at less than 10 kt will continue at all terminals through much of the period, turning out of the north to northwest behind the frontal boundary.

PDX AND APPROACHES...VFR cigs around FL4500-6500 with brief isolated light rain showers. Another frontal system will bring additional rain showers and likely MVFR cigs after 06-09z Fri. Southerly winds less than 10 kt continue into the early afternoon, before turning out of the north to northwest after 21-24z Fri. -HEC

MARINE
Seas of 4-6 ft at 10-12 seconds will build through Saturday as northwesterly swell rises to 6-8 ft ahead of a frontal system approaching the coast. Winds of 10-15 kt with gusts up to 20 kt out of the south to southwest through today will veer out of the northwest tonight behind the boundary as rain showers spread across the waters. Steadily building northwesterly swell will see seas reach 8-10 ft late Saturday into Sunday morning, while northwest winds of 15-20 kt gust as high as 25 kt.
Chances for gusts reaching gale-force Saturday into Sunday have decreased to 10-20% beyond 30 NM and 0-10% elsewhere, however there remains high confidence in conditions meriting at least Small Craft Advisories across the waters through parts of the weekend. Winds will turn southerly again at 10-20 kt on Monday ahead of the next approaching system, before veering out of the west to northwest Monday night through at least midweek. -Picard

PQR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES

OR...None.
WA...None.
PZ...None.