[pct-l] Weather conditions August/Sept Oregon & Washington

[bmclaughlin at bigplanet.com (Brian McLaughlin)]

Hocking, Matt wrote:
> 
> I'm going to be hiking the Oregon and Washington sections of the PCT in
> August & Sept this year.  As I'm from London I'd appreciate any local
> knowledge on what kind of weather conditions to expect.

You don't say whether you're northbound or southbound, which would
put you either in northern Washington or southern Oregon in the
latter half of September. (On the whole, southbound might make more
sense, but hike your own hike, as they say.) The southern half of
Oregon is a somewhat different climate zone than the remainder of
Oregon and Washington - drier and warmer.

The weather can vary widely from year to year. In August the worst
you are likely to encounter is moderate to heavy rain over a period
of several days, with cold but not freezing temperatures. The norm
is dry weather and warm temperatures, with cool nights. You could
easily see quite hot weather, too -- especially in southern Oregon
in August. NW hikers learn early to take several layers and have
a strategy to cope with both rain or heat on any lengthy hike.

In September, especially the latter half, the weather is decidedly
changing. The best days are perfection itself. But the odds of rain
and cold increase, and snow becomes a real possibility (although this
is far less true in southern Oregon than in N. Washington).

In 2003 the weather was abnormally dry and warm until October. This
year has been shaping for a heavy snowpack and a late meltoff. The
odds of a repetition of last summer's dry heat are slender, but not
out of the question.

Before you come here, make inquiries of this list in July about how
the summer has been progressing. At the least, it will let you know
the rate of meltoff and the availability of water in the drier parts
of the trail. Good luck.