By Rod Hill on 2013-09-20
The Autumnal Equinox will kick-off the fall season this Sunday at 1:44 p.m. pdt. A true "fall" cold front will arrive hours later, bringing possible high winds to the coast, steady rain to the valley and snow levels Sunday night lowering to Timberline Lodge!
Sunday's rainfall will put Portland over the top for September rainfall. The monthly average is 1.47 inches. To date, PDX has 1.45 inches in the rain bucket. Outlooks from the National Weather Service call for above normal rainfall to continue through October. The temperature outlook shows no confidence. However, the 90 day outlook shows above normal temperatures for November and December.
According to climate records, here is a guideline of what to expect in the coming weeks:
1. First week of October, the normal high temperature drops into the 60s. The normal low drops into the mid 40s on Oct. 13th.
2. The daily probability of rain goes from 30 percent to 40 percent October 9th. Meaning, historically, 4 out of 10 days over the past 30 years have seen measurable moisture. The rain chance increases to 50 percent of October 20th. On average, November is now considered Portland's wettest month.
3. October is the month that Portland begins to see more clouds than sunshine. Depending on weather patterns, the north valley will not see more sunshine than clouds until next April, May or June.
We could be starting the longest heatwave of the year!