Assembling the weather forecast on Wednesday afternoon proved challenging. The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Storm Watch for our area Thursday through Friday. A complex combination of two weather systems threatened to bring snow accompanied by strong east winds.
The first is to the south of our region. Some forecast models want to push the moisture field farther north over the area. This would result in snow later today, temperatures in the 20s and strong, gusty east winds. The big question is how far north will the moisture field migrate?
The best thing I can advise is be prepared for snow. We will just have to watch as the clouds move through Central Oregon and see if they push northward during the day. Right now, I believe there may be enough mechanics to force the moisture northward over Portland and Clark County. This is one of those hour-by-hour forecasts.
Regardless, if we escape this first round, snow and ice are still on the docket for the weekend. I am still thinking there will be significant snowfall of about 6 inches or more, followed by sleet and freezing rain on Sunday. Some areas may not rise above freezing until Monday morning. So prepare for the worst and stay tuned to the latest updates.
