Patchy fog south of Portland, but most areas see partly sunny skies Tuesday

Gusty east winds blowing through the Columbia River Gorge are helping to keep much of the Portland/Vancouver area fog-free early Tuesday.

The National Weather Service says some patchy fog is possible, early in the day, especially south of the city and in the central and southern Willamette Valley.

Portland will see partly sunny skies during most of the day, and a high temperature of about 52 degrees. By Tuesday evening, high clouds will begin building into the area caused by a weak frontal system that is likely to drop some rain during the overnight hours and into Wednesday.

This front is a quick mover and rain accumulations look light. The current 24-hour rain total forecast gives the Willamette Valley at 15% chance of more than a half-inch of rain. Those percentages increase into the 50% range along the Cascades and Coast Range.

Showers will continue into early Wednesday morning, but then taper off to a cloudy day with a high near 49 degrees.

Some of those early morning showers may fall as snow on the highest Cascade passes, but forecasters with the weather service say snow amounts will be light and spotty, and unlikely to cause any travel issues.

Once the weak front passes, models are in full agreement that a strong ridge of high pressure will build back into the region. From Thanksgiving and into the weekend, much of the Pacific Northwest will remain dry, but cool. Patchy fog will be likely each morning.

Thanksgiving is likely to start with some fog until about noon, then skies will turn mostly sunny. The high will be only 48 degrees.

Have some Black Friday shopping to do? Friday will also start with patchy fog, then turn sunny by midmorning. The high will be around 48 degrees.

Extended forecasts are continuing the sunny skies with morning fog into the weekend. But overnight temps are likely to drop below freezing in the central and southern Willamette Valley both Saturday and Sunday.

Heading to the coast over the upcoming holiday weekend? If so, be sure to exercise caution as there will be an increasing threat of sneaker waves beginning Thanksgiving Day and extending through Sunday. For more sneaker wave info, visit #ORwx #WAwx pic.twitter.com/zPOnPgfhhh

— NWS Portland November 20, 2023