Weather Eye: Cold and clear weather forecast for Thanksgiving weekend
The Columbian
Published: November 24, 2015, 5:58am
Share:
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.
Thanks to the overnight lows, we are running slightly below normal on the average mean temperature which is at 47.3 degrees so far this month. Precipitation totals 3.81 inches, about one half inch below average. With no rain after today, we will end up below average for the month most likely.
Sunday’s official low in Vancouver was 25 degrees, and with a little bit more wind Monday, the low was 30 degrees. Of course, it was much colder in the outlying wind-sheltered locations. I recorded 25 degrees in the Salmon Creek area.
In Thursday column, I’ll share last month’s rainfall amounts from your friends and neighbors around the area. I’ll also include my annual Thanksgiving bit of prose. Thaw that Turkey out and we will chat Thursday!
Patrick Timm is a local weather specialist. His column appears Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays. Reach him at http://patricktimm.com.
Fact-based reporting from the largest newsroom of professional journalists in Southwest Washington. Subscribe today for $99/year
Your tax-deductible donation to The Columbian’s Community Funded Journalism program will contribute to better local reporting on key issues, including homelessness, housing, transportation and the environment. Reporters will focus on narrative, investigative and data-driven storytelling.
Local journalism needs your help. It’s an essential part of a healthy community and a healthy democracy.
