We had a very nice break from the heavy rains after Thanksgiving and we will enjoy one more day before we enter an extended stormy period Wednesday and beyond.
East winds were running between 40-50 mph in the far east county near the Columbia River Gorge, with lower velocities in the rest of the county. They will continue today and still be quite strong Wednesday as a large low pressure system drops down from the Gulf of Alaska. By Thursday, southeast winds will remain rather blustery, especially along the coast.
Although the trough of low pressure contains colder air offshore, we will remain in a southerly flow aloft, keeping the snow falling only above the timberline on the Cascades. By the weekend and early next week, I think snow levels will drop back down to pass levels and give lower ski areas some much-needed snowpack.
There is some uncertainly with the extended forecast models, so things could go either way, with either low snow levels or quite a bit higher. Too much of a moving target to throw my dart. Ha-ha.
