4:15pm: Big Storms Over Cascades, Quiet in Valleys

As forecast, big thunderstorms have popped up over the Cascades this afternoon.   The current radar/lightning image:

Several have likely produced damaging hail…that possibly only deer, elk, or bears noticed.  Just about all of them have been over forested areas and not in towns.  Although at this moment I see one may be producing large hail very close to Lost Lake

These storms have unusually tall tops for our area, at one point I saw one reach 45,000′ as estimated from the radar.

The lack of cloud cover means today is a scorcher in the metro area.  Check out the 94 at PDX this hour!  By far the hottest day of 2018 so far

The message remains the same for this evening:

1. Between now and 2am storms may also develop out into the valleys.  Anyone from the Coast Range east could see a thunderstorm, but they will be scattered and not everyone will see one.
2. Storms will be slow-moving which means some of us could get a huge soaking, while 5 miles away it remains dry.
3. A strong push of cool marine air arrives west of the Cascades the next few hours (note it’s 20 degrees cooler in Eugene right now!).  Thursday will be mainly cloudy and in the lower 70s

Chief Meteorologist Mark Nelsen