8am Saturday
The gusty south wind has arrived across the region as a deep surface low is passing by to the west. It was a beautiful satellite loop the past 12 hours as the storm wrapped up offshore; especially considering we’re a week into April! Here’s the latest image:
The yellow spot is the location of the low pressure center. Notice it’s just now making it across the important 130West longitude? Unless the low is far deeper, here in the interior valleys we generally don’t get big windstorms with storms this far offshore. With this image I’ve added the expected movement of the low (in blue) and then a more typical windstorm track for the inland valleys.
The low will gradually weaken and very slowly move toward the central/south part of Vancouver Island the next 24 hours. This will give us a prolonged period of gusty south wind…all the way through the first half of Sunday! See the current location from the NAM-MM5 model:
and at 5am Sunday…that’s still a “south wind gusts 30-45 mph” setup in the valleys there:
To summarize:
- Coastal wind (so far) appears to be significantly weaker than expected once again (it happened with last April’s storm). I see a 72 at Cape Foulweather, but lots of 45-60 mph gusts otherwise. Windy, but nothing too crazy out there.
- Inland wind gusts will ramp up with daytime mixing. Pressure gradient will line up better with the north/south valleys the next 12 hours.
- Peak gusts still likely in the 35-50 mph for most of us in the valleys. That could happen anytime between now and early Sunday morning. Not a big windstorm by any means, but plenty of power outages and a few trees down.
If you have any outdoor activities, they can still go on since showers will come and go, but expect a blustery & wet spring day. If you are an organizer of an outdoor event I sure wouldn’t cancel it.
I’ll be at the Crown Point Country Historical Society groundbreaking event in Corbett at 11am…looks windy. At least the ground will be soft for plunging those shovels into the ground!
Chief Meteorologist Mark Nelsen
FOX 12 Weather Blog 
Still waiting for any appreciable wind here in Milwaukie. I heard the breeze start at 4:45 this morning when the dead calm outside finally broke, and with two decent, back-to-back gusts about 20 minutes later, that seems to have been the extent of it. Just a few times through the course of the day today where the breeze kind of kicked up a little, but I don’t think it even rose above 20 mph at any point, and it’s been absolutely dead calm out there for the last 90 minutes or so.
Should I keep holding my breath, or was this thing over before it started?
The wind has been a non-event in Hillsboro too..
It is raining steadily now though.
…meanwhile, it’s pretty windy over in my side of the state today, i barelly missed this list with only a gust to 40 in Cove… https://scontent-sea1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/30261731_10204656611971219_4516537486205255680_n.jpg?_nc_cat=0&oh=6d5da2b8ecdca241a96318f6edaf4df3&oe=5B6492C5
Gusts here in the West Hills very strong. About as strong as last April. I see Eugene has gusted to 50- wow!
The main part of the rain moved through here (Vancouver BC) by 8am. We’ve had some pretty good showers since (even a lightning stroke at 11:11am) but currently there’s a break to blue skies overhead. No major winds as yet.
Our wind event here was short lived.. it died back down to gentle breezes after about 10 minutes of strong wind and gusts that knocked off some good sized branches
Wind has picked up, rain just started. But not a windstorm. – Camas, WA, 600′ elevation.
I’m in Beaverton right now and the wind is starting to pick up. It will be interesting to drive back to Wood Village…lol
It’s picking up here 5mi NE of Battle Ground, branches are coming off the trees some decent gusts.
I hope Mark doesn’t get a nasty cold from all this wind. 😦
The NWS changed the times for the High Wind Warning. Instead of 8am it starts now at 1pm. I guess the Low slowed down 😂
The wind is just starting to pick up in Hillsboro!
And it went away….
Where’s the beef?
If we’re going to get an inch of rain today it’s beginning to look like it’ll be a big dump or a bust cuz it’s been dry all morning.
Finally starting to rain
And it stopped….
I noticed after NWS bumped down numbers to 40-50 gusts, they just increased in 10 minutes ago to possible 55 gusts. Gusts just getting started here in the West Hills.
I really like plunging shovels into the ground!