The forecast for Portland suggests that the city should brace for a series of wet days ahead. Beginning with a slight chance of rain today, primarily between 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. with mostly cloudy skies and a high near 55 degrees, residents can expect East winds to pick up, reaching speeds of 5 to 9 mph and gusts potentially hitting 22 mph; that chance of rain is pegged at a modest 20 percent, as provided by the National Weather Service.
Tonight, the cloud cover is set to increase with temperatures holding steady around 48 degrees, while East winds will continue at a similar pace, gusting to as high as 26 mph giving Portlanders a preview of a gusty weekend, and this pattern marks a shift towards more pronounced precipitation expected to start on Saturday with rain forecasted mainly before 4 p.m. and a high near 52 degrees, creating a 100% chance for rain that is with South winds around 8 mph anticipating gusts of up to 21 mph. The NWS estimates new precipitation amounts to range between a quarter and half an inch.
In a forecast update provided by the NWS, Saturday night will also have its share of rain before giving way to a break in precipitation; though the skies will remain mostly cloudy and the low will sit around 44 degrees with East Southeast winds around 6 mph, the chance of rain doesn't diminish entirely, standing at 50 percent.
The outlook for Sunday calls for more rain, kicking in mainly after 10 a.m. with a high near 52 degrees and East Southeast winds maintaining a steady 7 mph, signaling the start of what appears to be an unavoidably soggy week ahead as the chance of precipitation once again stands indisputable at 100 percent; the expected amounts of rainfall for part of the forthcoming week are in line with earlier predictions, between a quarter and half of an inch. Sunday night's forecast is similar with continuous rain before tapering off in the hours approaching dawn, with low temperatures hovering around 44 degrees and a persistent 100 percent chance of rainfall.
As Portland heads into the final week before Christmas, the weather seems less than conducive for last-minute holiday shopping and revelers, on Monday, the chance of rain drops somewhat to 40 percent after 10 a.m. amidst partly sunny skies and a high approaching 53 degrees, leading into a night of likely rain and cloudy conditions with lows around 46. The rainy conditions are set to endure through Tuesday, dampening spirits with a high near 51 and a continuation into Tuesday night, where rain is likely mainly before 10 p.m. amidst mostly cloudy skies and a low around 42 degrees.
The NWS forecasts that Christmas Day in Portland will likely be a wet one, with rain and mostly cloudy conditions and a high nearing 49 degrees, extending a similar pattern through Wednesday night with more rain predicted and cloudy coverage with lows around 44, transitioning into Thursday that's expected to stay on theme with additional periods of rain and cloudiness, with highs anticipated around the 50-degree mark for those dreaming of a wet, rather than white, Christmas.
