Pendleton, OR – Gusty winds and steady rain greet Eastern Oregon early Sunday, with slick roads and foggy ridges marking a true fall transition. The morning begins damp and breezy, but a rapid shift toward colder, clearer weather looms just hours away.
According to the National Weather Service in Pendleton, showers will taper after midmorning Sunday as a cold front sweeps across the Columbia Plateau. Winds may gust up to 40 mph in open areas, especially near I-84 and the Blue Mountains. Drivers should watch for standing water and reduced visibility through midday.
By late afternoon, drier air pushes in, and skies begin to clear. Temperatures will drop quickly after sunset, dipping into the mid-30s by early Monday morning. Patchy frost is expected in rural valleys — the first sign of an early cold snap that could touch sensitive crops and gardens.
From Monday through Wednesday, Eastern Oregon will enjoy a calm stretch with abundant sunshine and highs in the 60s. Nights stay crisp, with frost possible again Tuesday morning in sheltered basins. The next chance of rain returns late Thursday or Friday as a weak Pacific system approaches the Cascades.
For now, residents can expect a brief weather whiplash — from wind and rain to still, frosty calm — as fall deepens across Oregon’s high plains.
