NWS Issues Special Weather Statement for Oregon

The National Weather Service issued a special weather statement today for Northern Oregon and Southern Washington. Heavy rain is expected over the next 48 hours, bringing between 1 and 5 inches depending upon location.

Rivers are not expected to flood, but heavy rains in the coastal range often cause mudslides and localized flooding of streams. We recommend the following:

Make sure your emergency kit is ready and you have extra food and water, especially if you are in a remote location and can be stranded by flooding or slides

Pay attention to nearby hills and streams in the event of a mudslide or flood

If you do drive in the heavy rain, drive slowly and avoid standing water - pools of dirty water are usually much deeper then they appear.

If you have to go out on foot, do not ever attempt to cross running flood waters or mud slides, they are very dangerous and can wash away anyone.

http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/total_forecast/getprod.php?wfo=pqr&sid=PQR&pil=SPS

Statement as of 2:29 PM PDT on October 15, 2009

... Heavy rain expected Friday night and Saturday...

An unusually wet early season system is expected to dump
several inches of rain over the area early this weekend. The bulk
of the rain will fall from late Friday afternoon through Saturday
as the system taps into a tropical air mass. Models are in
agreement on bringing the front onshore and then stalling it...
although details on where the heaviest rain will fall are still
evolving. As the front stalls the system will usher in a warm and
moist air mass and consequently wring it out over northwest
Oregon and southwest Washington. Rainfall accumulations are
expected to be 2 to 5 inches in the Coast Range... 1 to 2 inches
northern portions of Willamette Valley... 2 to 4 inches in the
South Washington and north Oregon Cascades... and around an inch
elsewhere.

Since this system is coming early in the year when rivers are near
their Summer lows... river flooding should not be much of a
concern. However... local areas may see higher than expected
accumulations and therefore local flooding of small streams
remains a possibility. Remember to maintain a higher awareness
level and keep informed on this developing scenario.

Monitor NOAA Weather Radio or weather.Gov/Portland for the latest
information... forecasts... and warnings.

Heat Wave Forecasted from 27 July to 29 July

The build-up of heat we've had over the last few days is leading us to a heat wave, and the National Weather Service has issued an extreme heat warning for Oregon and Washington.

http://forecast.weather.gov/wwamap/wwatxtget.php?cwa=pqr&wwa=excessive%20heat%20watch

...EXCESSIVE HEAT WATCH IN EFFECT FROM MONDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH WEDNESDAY EVENING FOR SOUTHWEST WASHINGTON AND NORTHWEST OREGON INTERIOR...  THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN PORTLAND HAS ISSUED AN EXCESSIVE HEAT WATCH...WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM MONDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH WEDNESDAY EVENING.  THE WARMEST WEATHER OF THE SEASON WILL LIKELY OCCUR IN THE INTERIOR OF SOUTHWEST WASHINGTON AND NORTHWEST OREGON BEGINNING MONDAY AND LIKELY CONTINUING AT LEAST THROUGH WEDNESDAY. AFTERNOON TEMPERATURES AT LOWER ELEVATIONS WILL BE IN AT LEAST THE UPPER 90S ON MONDAY...AND POSSIBLY REACH OR EXCEED 100 TUESDAY AND AGAIN WEDNESDAY. MANY AREAS OF THE CASCADES AND IN THE COAST RANGE WILL LIKELY PUSH WELL UP INTO THE 90S DURING THIS PERIOD AS WELL. IN ADDITION...LOW TEMPERATURES WILL BE RISING AS WELL INTO THE 60S... RESTRICTING ANY RELIEF AT NIGHT.

Here at OEM we normally deal with disasters, but heat waves can be deadly for people who are unprepared to handle them. Personal preparedness is not just important for disasters! It can save your life during day-to-day changes like this heat wave. The weather service has some great tips for preparing for the heat.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...  AN EXCESSIVE HEAT WATCH MEANS THAT A PROLONGED PERIOD OF HOT TEMPERATURES IS EXPECTED. THE COMBINATION OF HOT TEMPERATURES AND HIGH HUMIDITY WILL COMBINE TO CREATE A DANGEROUS SITUATION IN WHICH HEAT ILLNESSES ARE POSSIBLE. DRINK PLENTY OF FLUIDS...STAY IN AN AIR-CONDITIONED ROOM...STAY OUT OF THE SUN...AND CHECK UP ON RELATIVES AND NEIGHBORS.

The CDC recommends that if you must be out in extreme heat to drink 2-4 cups of water an hour and don't wait until you are thirsty. Make sure to wear sunscreen, and if you need to be active to drink sports drinks to replenish salts and electrolytes that your body will sweat out. Pace yourself, and stay safe. Hot weather doesn't have to stop us from being active but we do have to be careful as heat stroke can be life threatening.

http://www.bt.cdc.gov/disasters/extremeheat/heat_guide.asp