Monday continues string of cooler than average days with clouds filling Portland’s skies

Are you enjoying this cooler than average break from the summer heat? Portland will see a few more days of highs in the 70s before another ridge of high pressure builds into the region warming temps back into the 80s by the end of the week.

The cooling and clouds are due to a strong onshore flow that brings marine stratus into the valleys and carries cooler ocean air eastward.

Portland will start Monday with plenty of clouds before gradual clearing brings a mostly sunny afternoon. The National Weather Service says temperatures will be much as they were Saturday with most locations landing in the mid-to-upper 70s. The forecasted high at the Portland International Airport is about 75.

Winds in the Columbia River Gorge will be breezy with gusts of 25-35 mph beginning near Hood River and continuing eastward. Portions of the gorge near The Dalles are under a red flag warning due to high fire danger. Scattered thunderstorms early Monday could lead to fire starts that may spread rapidly due to high winds. Use caution in the area.

NOAA

Portland will see another cloudy morning Tuesday as a new system swings off the ocean and into the Pacific Northwest bringing a chance of rain to central and northern Washington. Southwest Washington and Oregon should stay dry, but cloud cover will be heavy through the morning hours. The afternoon should see some gradual clearing. The high will be near 79 degrees.

By Wednesday Portland should begin to see the effects of building high pressure with mostly sunny skies much of the day. The high temperature will be about 80 degrees.

Extended forecasts are mixed, but it’s expected high pressure will bring mostly sunny skies to Portland and warm the region through the end of the week with temperatures rising back into the mid 80s by Friday.