Saturday is the first day of autumn and with it comes a change in the weather for western Oregon.
Clinton Rockey is a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Portland. He said come Sunday, we’re in for several days of rain.
“Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, it’s just kind of going to be a broken record of wet days,” Rockey said. “In fact, most of next week looks wet right now with temperatures only into the 60s. So, definitely for people who’ve been waiting for the old friend, the rain, it’s coming back. And it looks like it’ll come back with a little bit of a vengeance on us.”
Rockey said the rain should help squelch fires in the region and improve air quality. He added the rain will also help prevent new fires.
“A lot of the dead shrubs and grass we see along the side of the road that are dried out this time of year,” said Rockey. “They’ll moisten back up. So that’ll help to keep them from catching on fire as easily.”
On the coast, the winds will pick up with the rain, and that means bigger waves.
Rockey cautioned people who are interested in watching the waves on the coast to keep in mind that it’s dangerous on the rocks.
“When the rocks get wet, and you’ve got the wind blowing and you’ve got water moving around you,” said Rockey. “Be a little more alert if you are out on the beach and the rocks.”
The rain also makes for slicker roads after a long period of dry weather.
The National Weather Service in Medford has issued a flood watch for parts of southwest Oregon from Sunday afternoon through Monday evening.
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