PORTLAND, Ore. — KGW is issuing a Weather Impact Alert Day for Saturday afternoon and evening due to thunderstorms capable of producing hail, heavy rain, lighting and gusty winds. A severe thunderstorm watch has been issued for parts of Oregon, Washington and California until 9 p.m. Saturday.
On Sunday, though, the forecast appears much calmer, with a chance for some light showers and thunderstorms in the morning, then a mix of clouds and sunshine in the afternoon.
The widespread rain across Oregon may mitigate the wildfires burning in the state, a rare commodity in the summer. One-inch valley rain totals will be possible in less than 30 minutes from individual storms.
According to KGW meteorologist Joe Raineri, Saturday already marks the wettest day of the summer in downtown Portland, with nearly 0.4 inches of rain as of 6:37 p.m. The area will continue to be under a Weather Impact Alert through the evening until about 10 p.m. Saturday.
Some storms have already produced quarter-size hail in Welches, near Mount Hood.
The Clackamas County Fairgrounds called for a shelter in place Saturday evening due to "incoming inclement weather," asking attendees to move to buildings, barns or their cars. They added that they will reopen "when it is safe" and that parking will be free for all attendees the rest of Saturday evening.
In the late afternoon, the fairgrounds had announced the start date for the Canby Rodeo would be pushed back to 8:30 p.m. due to incoming thunderstorms.
A Flash Flood Watch will be in effect for the Cascades region starting Saturday afternoon and through the night due to the heavy and intense rainfall in wildfire burn scars, as well as possible debris flows.
Saturday evening, Portland General Electric and Clark Public Utilities in Vancouver are reporting multiple outages, with thousands of customers affected. As of 7 p.m. Saturday, PGE reported 129 outages with 7,282 customers affected, while Clark Public Utilities reported 9,525 outages and customers affected. Pacific Power reported 84 outages affecting 15,496 within the state.
Porland Parks and Recreation announced all of their events for Saturday are canceled due to the weather. The Beaverton Night Market set for Saturday evening was also canceled.
The Wasco County Sheriff also said all Saturday events have been canceled at the county fair and that they "will assess and update" for Sunday. The agency also warned of downed power lines across roads and widespread outages.
NWS Portland issued special weather statements due to hail and winds up to 40 miles per hour, for the areas of Mount Hood, Odell, Parkdale and Skamania County in Washington state until 7 p.m., as well as several severe thunderstorm warnings across the state throughout Saturday evening.
When
Rain and severe thunderstorms are expected to hit the Portland area on Saturday afternoon and into the late evening.
Impact
If Portland gets a thunderstorm or strong shower that produces a good downpour, there may be local ponding of water in intersections, as well as the potential outdoor events getting rescheduled.
Need
Residents are urged to drive carefully.
What are Weather Impact Alert days?
It’s our goal to make sure you have the most accurate and up-to-date information about the weather and its impact on you. The new KGW Weather Impact Alerts will be just that, alerts as far in advance as possible, so that you can be armed with accurate information to keep yourself and your family safe.