As rain drenches the Portland-Vancouver area, the forecast calls for snow in higher elevations starting Monday night. Additionally, more than a dozen Clark County schools have decided to start late or close for the day.
Hockinson School District decided to open two hours late Monday morning, as is often typical for winter weather. Camas, Green Mountain, La Center and Washougal schools decided to close. Battle Ground has closed its norther schools and delayed the start of the school day elsewhere in its district. Seven private and charter schools in the area are also starting late. Find more information on the closures and delays here.
C-TRAN service is running normally this morning with the exception of Route 47, which will not serve Yacolt.
Schools districts in the eastern county did not report buses diverting to snow routes. Camas received the most snowfall this weekend, but emergency responders said Saturday there were not that many crashes for a snow day, and families went outside Sunday to play in the melting snow rather than worry.
The National Weather Service issued a winter storm watch Monday morning for Vancouver and the county communities of Battle Ground, Ridgefield, Washougal, Yacolt and Amboy. The watch takes effect at 10 p.m. tonight and is set to expire Tuesday afternoon.
“Heavy snow possible. Total snow accumulations of up to 6 inches possible, most likely in the hills above 500 feet,” the storm watch says.
Mostly rain is expected for the evening commute. The precipitation could change to snow by midnight, according to the weather service. Snow is increasingly likely Tuesday morning.
Forecasters reported that they were moderately confident Clark County would get more snow, particularly in places above 500 feet. They have lower confidence the lower they go.
“This scenario may result in widely varying accumulations ranging from no snow to several inches, even at the same elevation,” the storm watch says.
Where winter does re-emerge, heavy and wet snow may cause broken tree limbs and downed power lines, increasing chances for power outages. Officials warned that drivers should prepare for dangerous road conditions.
Later Monday morning, the weather service issued a flood watch for the metro area that starts at 7 p.m. Heavy rain tonight may cause ponding on roads and flooding along small streams. Rainfall totals at low elevations are forecast to reach 1 to 4 inches.
No rivers in Clark County were listed among those of greatest concern.
