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Sunday snow is likely for Clark County

By Jerzy Shedlock, Columbian Breaking News Reporter
Published: February 16, 2018, 7:39am

The National Weather Service issued a special weather statement Friday, warning area residents of lowland snow starting late Sunday.

Snow should fall due to the coldest temperatures of the winter. The conditions are forecast for the Portland-Vancouver area, including the Clark County communities of Battle Ground, Ridgefield, Washougal, Yacolt and Amboy.

Snow mixed with rain will likely blanket the area down to sea level on Sunday. Snow accumulations should remain at 1,000 feet and above Sunday afternoon and evening, according to the weather service.

“Light snow accumulations are possible late Sunday, but the showery nature of precipitation will lead to scattered areas of accumulation and no accumulation,” the weather statement says.

There are also concerns about black ice for Sunday night and Monday morning, even if the area doesn’t get snow. Temperatures are expected to dip into the 20s over the same time period.

And lows in the teens are possible in places generally considered to be colder spots, like Battle Ground.

“Confidence in details beyond Tuesday are very low,” forecasters said. “While the pattern later next week could produce snow, even at the beaches, it is also a somewhat favorable pattern to sneak out of the cold temperatures without seeing snow or freezing rain in the lowlands … even in the Columbia River Gorge.”

Portland-based meteorologists told The Columbian earlier this week that a low-pressure system in the upper atmosphere accompanied by moisture is bringing about the winter weather.

A more detailed area forecast discussion posted by the weather service Friday says a northwest airflow is guiding a series of cold fronts from the Gulf of Alaska toward the Pacific Northwest.

The next cold front is pressing southward across Vancouver Island and will cause a “quick burst of rain and mountain snow (Friday), with several inches of new snow expected for the Cascades Mount Hood northward,” the forecast discussion says.

That system pales in comparison to another currently brewing in the Gulf of Alaska and expected in the region Saturday. The incoming system has “impressive moisture,” forecasters said.

“Heavy snow and strong winds are likely for the Cascades, but snow levels will likely rise above the passes ahead of the front. Much colder air behind the front will cause snow levels to crash down toward the valley floor Sunday as showers persist,” the discussion says.

The change in the weather pattern will likely remain for the latter half of February.

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Columbian Breaking News Reporter