Warmer temperatures Wednesday caused much of the snow which fell Tuesday to melt across the lowlands. Now that the sun has set, temperatures are falling into the lower to mid 30s in many locations across the interior lowlands and the valleys of the north Oregon Coast Range.
Temperatures in some locations may fall near or slightly below freezing, causing wet roadways to refreeze overnight. This could result in hazardous driving conditions through Thursday morning, especially on less traveled secondary roads.
Areas most prone to refreezing and slick roadways will be valleys in the north Oregon Coast Range and areas of the northern Willamette valley and the Southwest Washington interior lowlands that still have snow on the ground. Another area that may be especially prone to refreezing of roadways could be near the mouth of the Columbia River Gorge, where chilly east winds should redevelop and cause temperatures to fall back down to near or slightly below freezing.
Locations that fall below freezing overnight tonight may also stand the possibility of precipitation starting as a wintry mix of snow, sleet, or freezing rain Thursday morning as our next frontal system begins to spread more moisture into the area. However, precipitation should quickly change to plain rain outside of the Gorge as warmer temperatures move into the area Thursday.
