Weather Eye: With cold, wind, it’ll feel like winter

The weather forecast went along pretty well, with basically a non-event for us here in the lowlands but 2 to 6 inches of snow in our foothills above 1,000 feet. About the only change from my thinking in Tuesday’s column is that now it appears we will get a shot of those cold east winds as modified arctic air seeps westward from Eastern Washington.

Most of the local area saw snowflakes in the air Wednesday and a light dusting at times. We had sticking snow last year on the same date, the late-day sneaker storm, remember?

Anyway, blizzard conditions occurred Wednesday in southeast Washington near Pullman, with heavy snow and winds gusting over 40 mph. Some incredible amounts of snow fell in the higher elevations in the southern Washington and Oregon Cascades.

With the modified arctic air rushing into our local area via the Gorge, it will really feel like winter. The year will end on a dry and cold note, and that will carry into the new year. There is an area of low pressure dropping south from the Gulf of Alaska, but all computer models keep it off our coast and headed toward California. If it were to nudge a bit closer, we could see a few snow flurries Friday or Saturday, but no big deal.

The cold will be with us until early next week when another weather system heads toward us. This will put us back into a more seasonal pattern with rain and average temperatures later in the week. However, the disclaimer, right? If the cold east winds are still blowing, we could see a general area-wide snowfall, so we will keep a weather eye on that. I think our next chance of cold weather may materialize the second week of January.

Meanwhile, enjoy the sunshine and brisk weather the rest of the week, and, of course, a very Happy New Year to you all!

Pat Timm is a local weather specialist. His column appears Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays. Reach him at http://weathersystems.com.