Portland is expected to stay mostly cloudy Thursday, with a high in the lower 60s and light winds. Rain chances increase after midnight.
Thursday Stays Dry, But Not For Long
Rain chances rise Thursday night, followed by a rainy Friday with a high near 58 degrees. That marks a sharper turn from the dry-break outlook reported earlier this week by Hoodline.
Friday Starts The Soak
Rain is likely Friday night and Saturday, with Saturday highs in the upper 50s. Saturday rain is most likely in the morning, with a 70% chance, before another round arrives Saturday night. Winds should generally remain light to moderate as the systems move through. The National Weather Service forecast gives the Portland area a near-100% chance of rain Saturday night.
The weekend’s rain is expected in two rounds, not one continuous system: the first front reaches the region late tonight into Friday, with a brief easing Saturday before another front brings rain back Saturday night and Sunday. Along the coast, the National Weather Service puts the chance of more than an inch of rain in 24 hours at 60% to 70% from Saturday into Sunday.
Weekend Rain Keeps The Coast Risky
Sunday is forecast to bring rain and cloudy skies, with a high in the mid 50s; unsettled weather may continue into early next week. On the coast, a High Surf Warning is in effect from noon Friday to noon Saturday for the Clatsop and central Oregon coasts, alongside marine Gale Warnings for coastal waters. The warning highlights dangerous surf and an extreme sneaker-wave threat.
The surf warning calls for breakers as high as 30 to 35 feet on the Clatsop and central Oregon coasts from noon Friday to noon Saturday. The National Weather Service says sneaker-wave danger will be extreme and peak Friday evening into Friday night; waves can sweep across beaches and jetties, so stay well back from the water and large logs.
For Portland-area residents, the main concerns are possible ponding on roadways and in poor-drainage spots and increasingly saturated ground after several rounds of rain. Widespread river flooding is not expected, but clearing leaves from gutters and storm drains before Friday is a sensible bit of seasonal maintenance.
