Arctic blast to bring strong winds, cold

An arctic blast this week will bring Clark County strong winds and its coldest temperatures of the season so far, according to the National Weather Service in Portland.

The combination will bring wind-chill values to dangerously low levels, particularly in the Columbia River Gorge, according to the weather service. Wind chills could drop as low as 25 below zero in the Gorge, and even the Vancouver metro area could experience wind chills around zero degrees or slightly above, said Liana Ramirez, a meteorologist with the weather service.

“We’ll definitely feel it,” Ramirez said. “The strongest winds will of course be near the Gorge, but the Portland and Vancouver area will still be impacted.”

Winds from the east picked up Monday and were expected to continue through Tuesday and into Wednesday. Gusts could measure as strong as 40 to 55 mph in Vancouver, according to the weather service. That could be strong enough to cause power outages, adding to what has already been a busy several weeks for local utility crews. Most recently, a Dec. 11 windstorm left tens of thousands of people without power in Clark County.

Meanwhile, local temperatures will struggle to rise above the freezing mark for much of this week. High temperatures will stay in the low 30s at least through Wednesday, according to the weather service, while overnight lows drop into the teens.

People should be prepared for the conditions, Ramirez said. In extreme cold, that means making sure elderly relatives and children are taken care of, keeping pets indoors and protecting sensitive plants, she said. Residents should also have winter supplies on hand in the event of a power outage, she added.

Conditions should warm up by the end of this week, with high temperatures returning to the high 30s or low 40s, according to the weather service. The chance of rain may also return this weekend, but forecasters don’t expect any low-elevation snow or wintry precipitation to materialize during the transition.