~Summer Around the Pacific Northwest~
RED FLAG WARNINGS have been extended through early Sunday for parts of our forecast area * Click here for all the latest information.......
Exclusive Inland NW Summary Issued: Wednesday, September 9, 2026 @ 9:30pm
WRITTEN BY: Climatologist Bob Lutz
(Summaries are issued as needed and will be updated more frequently during times of active weather)
SHORT-TERM FORECAST
The rest of the workweek will feature variable clouds and sun; however, with a mostly zonal flow in place and the absence of strong high pressure, there will still be a slight chance of a scattered shower. In addition, the recent warming trend will wane as cooler air begins to filter in, and it will also be quite breezy at times.
LONG-TERM FORECAST
Models continue to struggle big time with the forecasts for the upcoming weekend! In fact, consistency has been absolutely horrible! First they were indicating the storm out of the Gulf of Alaska may track north. Now, they're indicating it will go south! So in summary, there remains good agreement on the cooler temperatures, and that if any precipitation does develop, it will happen later Saturday into Sunday. On the flip side, precipitation chances and amounts over our forecast area remain highly uncertain... Stay tuned! Beyond the weekend, there are good indicators of improving weather moving into the 3rd week of September.
SPECIAL WINTER OUTLOOK COMMENTARY
The forecast of a "super El Nino" already has a few of our local meterologists pulling the trigger on predicting yet another dry winter, but I have to say that I strongly disagree with making such a prediction this early on! I have been watching this equatorial Pacific phenomenon for over 40 years, and quite frankly, I have seen some El Nino winters come with much better precipitation than many of our recent La Niña events, which are "supposed" to be cold and wet. Prime examples are what happened last year AND the winter before. The basis of my disagreement is that there are many other weather phenomena that interconnect to form our weather patterns here in the Northwest. The Madden Julian Oscillation (MJO) and Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) certainly have more of an effect on the outcome of our Northwest winters than the stand-alone monitoring of the water temperatures in the equatorial Pacific. Add in the unpredictability of the Arctic Oscillation (which can change course in just a matter of days) and you can clearly see why making a prediction this far out is a bit premature! So in summary, don't hang up those skis or sell the winter gear quite yet, as there is certainly much more to monitor in the weeks ahead!
General Short-Term Model Agreement: GOOD
General Long-Term Model Agreement: POOR
Our hearts and prayers continue to go out to all those affected by the historic Northwest wildfires. The long-term recovery process is now underway, and it's never too late to help. Please consider making a charitable donation by clicking on the icon below. With Innovia, your donation stays local, and they have much lower overhead which means more of your money goes to the fire victims...
