Rainy Day Ahead, Snowy in the Cascades

Good morning! Conditions are turning wet on this Wednesday morning as a cold front pushes rain into the region. It’s going to be a pretty wet day across northwest Oregon and southwest Washington. Steady rain can be expected along the coast between this morning and midday. Rain will transition to showers as we head into the afternoon. Our interior valleys will deal with rainy conditions through the mid to late afternoon before transitioning to showers. High temperatures will likely be achieved this morning, topping out in the mid 40s. The coast should pick up between 0.75-1.25″ of rain, and our western valleys will receive about 0.30-0.75″. A healthy dose of snow is also coming to the Cascades. The snow level will start off around 3,500 feet this morning, and will sink to about 2,000-2,500 feet this evening. When all is said and done, elevations above 2,500 feet will pick up 3-6 inches of new snow. Higher, more favorable mountain slopes could see closer to 6-10 inches.

Aside from New Year’s Day, we’ve had measurable rain every day this month at PDX. That’s likely to change as we head into Thursday & Friday. Conditions will dry out as high pressure expands over the West Coast. A weak front will sneak over the top of the ridge on Saturday, bringing a chance of light showers. Other than that, we have a lot of cool & dry days ahead. Highs will remain in the 40s, with overnight lows falling into the 30s (20s in outlying spots).

Given the calm & dry pattern, there’s no threat of lowland snow or ice west of the Cascades for the next 7-10 days. I also don’t see any big wind events on the horizon.

Have a great Wednesday!

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