It will be a hard day for umbrellas Wednesday with heavy rain at times and winds gusting to 35 mph in Portland. Oregonian file photo
A strong front moving in from the Pacific Ocean will bring moderate-to-heavy rain gusty winds to Portland on Wednesday.
The National Weather Service expects steady rain in the metro area until about noon, and showers during the afternoon with possible thunderstorms.
This system also packs some gusty south winds. Sustained winds will blow at 15-25 mph and gusts of up to 35 mph are possible. The high temp will be about 54 degrees. New rainfall amounts are expected to measure about a half inch in the valleys. The coast and Coast Range will see 1-1.5 inches.
The coast is also under a sneaker wave warning due to high wave run-ups along the beaches Wednesday through Thursday. If you’re spending spring break at the coast, use caution, keep an eye on children and pets, and never turn your back on the waves.
Rain showers continue on Thursday and winds will still be strong at times with gusts as high as 35 mph. The high temp should reach about 50 degrees.
By Friday, the wet system that had been soaking the metro area this week will get absorbed into a new system over the California coast. This will bring drier weather and warming temps heading into the weekend. Friday still has a 50% chance of showers, but most of those should fall during the morning hours. The afternoon will bring some sunshine to the city and temps that warm into the low 60s.
The extended forecast is bragging about a really nice weekend with sunny skies both Saturday and Sunday and highs in the low 60s. That forecast could even extend to early next week.