Big Picture: Transition Thursday
It’s certainly a gloomy day of weather in the Pacific Northwest today; lots of low clouds, drizzle, showers and overall darkness. Highs today will remain in the 40s and what you see this morning will be what you mainly see this afternoon, and evening as well. Not a bad day to grab the jacket and keep an umbrella handy as some showers will stick around for much of the day. If you were hoping for more action weather-wise, we’ve brewed up some more excitement for tomorrow and beyond.
A strong and cold area of low pressure is currently in the Gulf of Alaska and headed our way. After an easy - somewhat dry Friday morning commute, a cold front races into the district and brings us a variety of weather. Here are my latest thoughts and how they may impact your President’s day holiday weekend.
Rain will begin falling in the Portland metro area by early afternoon on Friday with some moderate to heavy rain at times. It will be very breezy as well. Cooler weather will settle into the region and lower our snow levels for much of the weekend. This means the Cascades pick-up 6-12” of snow, and the Foothills could see a few inches as well, especially in heavier downpours. So if you are headed to the Cascades, you will encounter snow covered roads. The Gorge could also become a bit wintry as well. It’s too soon to tell the exact impacts in the Gorge but be advised for the potential for wintry driving. Maybe you’re headed toward the Coast for a long weekend? For
now my thoughts are as such: the highest peaks in the Coast Range may get a few inches of snow. Highway 26 & 6 could see some snow flying late Friday night and into early Saturday morning – but at these elevations I think it’s a mixed bag and roadways should be okay. It’s a fluid situation so stay close to koinlocal6 online and on the air to see if things change. At the coast itself, winds will pick-up considerably but likely stay below high wind warning
criteria. We’re talking plain old rain at the coast.
This is mainly a rain event in the valleys, but small hail and isolated thunderstorms are possible Friday into Saturday as well as the much cooler air filters in.
Enjoy your day!
Coast: Cloudy skies with showers at times. Highs: 45-50.
I-5 Corridor/Willamette Valley: Cloudy skies and light showers. Highs: 43-47.
Gorge: Mostly cloudy. Slight shower chance especially west end. W 5-15 mph: 38-44.
Cascades: Mostly cloudy. Snow showers at times. PM snow level near 5000’. Highs: 28-37.
Central/Eastern Oregon: Mostly cloudy, occasional showers mainly east. Highs: 42-46.
Matt
Brode
KOIN Local 6 Meteorologist
http://www.mattbrode.com
mbrode@koin.com
Follow me on Twitter: www.twitter.com/mattbrode
