It’s that perfect, magical time of year to have an extended stretch of clear skies, cool nights and warm days. And this year, we’re going to be incredibly blessed.

After enduring an unusually cool and gloomy start to October, the middle of the month has turned decisively gorgeous. Today Saturday was our third sunny day. Yesterday Friday I took a drive up the Hood River Valley, to enjoy the turning leaves and the tranquil setting. I was not the least bit disappointed, either.

It never ceases to amaze me, just how warm 65-70 degree sunshine can feel in October, when there is no wind. Something about the horizontal sun angle, plus the fact that the mornings start off so chilly, seems to make it feel especially nice. That wasn’t quite the case today though; we had increasing east wind in the late afternoon from a Canadian dry cold front. That dropped dewpoints in The Dalles into the low 20s, and stirred up enough wind to create a mild chill, just as the sun was starting to sink low.

Now, as of 10pm temps have dropped all the way to 47, down from a glorious 69 early this afternoon. We will probably be in the low to mid 30s by dawn, with a possible tomato-killing frost in some places tonight. Certainly if you live in the higher terrain near town, your garden’s harvest season will be over.

The eastern Gorge will stay on the “crisp side of nice” through Monday, with temps east side generally 5-10 degrees cooler than in Portland or the Willamette Valley. Fairly strong east wind will push through the western Gorge, tonight on into Monday. Then Monday-Wednesday, Western Oregon could get spectacularly warm for the 3rd week of October; high temps possibly flirting with upper 70s over there. That’s due to the Santa Ana effects when east wind comes down the slopes of the Cascades and warms due to compression.

No telling yet, whether or not the major warmth makes it east of the mountains. We’re getting close to the time of year when you need a light WEST wind in the Gorge, to carry warm air to the surface in places like The Dalles. Otherwise, even if you avoid too much Canadian influence and get really warm 850mb temps over the east side, surface conditions could get crippled by hazy inversions.

We’re not sure yet just how long the sunny weather will stick around, nor just how warm the interior regions get. Nonetheless, for the next 7-8 days at least, it will be bone dry with blue skies almost everywhere, and quite warm if you live west of the mountains.

Here Portland looks consistently warm and dry through at least the 21st/22nd of October. Beyond that, who knows? So get out there and enjoy the fall sunshine THIS week!