Portland 'Weather Machine' predicts weather downtown for more than 35 years

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) -- A fanfare of music has been alerting Pioneer Courthouse Square visits of the day's weather forecast for more than 35 years.

Unsuspecting spectators look in awe and confusion as music echoes through Pioneer Courthouse Square every day at noon. A spray of water and three sculpted characters emerge from the reflective global that sits in the northwest corner of the park. Flashing lights along the sculptures coincides with the nearly two-minute long fanfare of music, water and moving sculpture display.

This production is all in favor of the day's weather forecast. Everything from the current temperature to the day's weather is explained with this one of a kind piece in downtown Portland.

The flashing lights during the noon production are typically solid, displaying the current temperature. There's an array of white and red lights that help spectators read the temperature. Every red light is an indicator of 10 degrees, starting at 30°F. The white (blue near the bottom) lights indicate two degrees. The max temperature extends from the bottom to the top of the art installation with the peak temperature reaching 100°F.

The cast of characters includes a sun named Helia, a Blue Heron and a dragon that all depict different weather forecasts. Helia is the symbol for bright, blue and sunny skies. The heron is the prediction of Portland's classic cloudy and sometimes drizzly weather. Finally, the dragon is the forecast of stormy weather for The Rose City.

Each character makes an appearance during the forecast with the final statue indicating the day's forecast. A final spray of water and the day's forecast character is left in place at the top of the reflective globe for the next 24 hours.

Despite the name of the 'Weather Machine' it doesn't control the weather, but is more of a fun way to think about the atmosphere around us here in Portland.