“A lot of ingredients and very dynamic evolution of conditions over the next several days (are creating) a complicated forecast,” Bryant said.
Although 2024 is an El Niño year — characterized by a typically drier and warmer winter — severe weather is not entirely out of the ordinary, Bryant said
El Niño “certainly doesn’t preclude a week of active weather like we’re going to have in the next several days,” Bryant said. “Overall for the season our temperatures are much above average and mountain snowpack is much below average.”
In adverse winter weather, the Washington State Department of Transportation recommends checking road conditions ahead of time, as well as your vehicle’s headlights to ensure they’re working properly.
To stay up to date, WSDOT recommends downloading its mobile app, checking traffic cameras, signing up for specialized email alerts (including traffic alerts, construction updates and timely reports of mountain pass conditions) and identifying rest areas ahead of time.
C-Tran
If inclement weather hits, some C-Tran routes and services may be affected or delayed.
On both Vine routes, service may be provided by regular 40-foot buses. Passengers should look for Adverse Weather bus stop signs — each will have the snowflake symbol — at Vine platforms, indicating where to board.
For up-to-the-minute weather impacts to bus service, check C-Tran’s Twitter: @ctran_alerts. Schedules are updated in January with the latest information always available at www.c-tran.com.
Mount Hood
With feet of snow expected in the Cascades, stir-crazy skiers and snowboarders might be looking to flock to Mount Hood over the Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday weekend — if the $150 lift tickets don’t scare them off.
Bryant advised travelers to check that ski areas are open and learn about road conditions ahead of time.
“If you are headed up into the Cascades or trying to get somewhere east of the Cascades, be aware of what conditions are,” Bryant said.
