East Wind Sticking Around

Good morning! It was a windy night across the Portland/Vancouver metro area and the western Columbia River Gorge. Expect the east wind to continue today, keeping our conditions dry and our skies clear. It’ll be a different story east of the Cascades with low clouds and fog in many cases, plus cold temperatures. The east wind will be strongest near the mouth of the Gorge, where gusts will likely exceed 50 mph. The farther you’re located from the Gorge, the lighter the wind will be. The central & east sides of the metro area could experience gusts around 40 mph, but generally they should range between 25-35 mph. Sustained winds around 10-20 mph will make for a chilly day, even with temperatures rising into the 50s.

Many of you have been asking how long this wind will stick around. It looks like it will settle down a bit on Wednesday, but should ramp back up on Thursday. The east wind will persist through at least Friday, if not Saturday morning. These winds are complicating our overnight temperature forecast. Windier spots have stayed well above freezing, and that trend should continue the remainder of the week. Keep in mind we have very dry air in place. If the wind temporarily settles down (or if your city is more wind-sheltered), temps could fall quickly. Outlying locations will be more susceptible to frost in the coming mornings. Aside from that, our weather will remain dry through the weekend.

Clouds will start to stream back in between late Saturday and Sunday, marking the start of a pattern change. As high pressure breaks down and moves southeast, our weather will turn wet again. Expect rain and mountain snow to return by early next week.

Have a great Tuesday!

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