Weather Eye: Cold and clear weather forecast for Thanksgiving weekend

A fast-moving cold front was heading our way Monday afternoon and promised to bring several inches of snow to the Cascades and eastern Oregon and Washington. The majority of the cold air will slide east of the Rockies, so snow levels will only lower to about 1,500 feet or so.

Still, if travelling for Thanksgiving, mountain roads will be icy or snow covered. Wednesday would be the best day for traveling. High pressure will build in and decorate Thanksgiving Day with sunny blue skies. And let’s not forget the east wind that will be blowing down the Columbia River Gorge.

It will be chilly, even with the sunshine, and overnight lows will be in the 20s in wind-sheltered locations. The past few days have seen overnight lows in the low to mid 20s.

There won’t be enough snow to get the ski season underway but the upper ski areas are gathering snow from the parking lots and hauling it upward. The extended outlook after today’s precipitation is for dry weather through the holiday weekend.