Weather Eye: Sunny weather to dissipate, but snow picture cloudy

Status quo for a couple more days before we lose the sunshine and mild afternoon temperatures. Monday morning in Vancouver it was 22 degrees for the overnight low, the same as Sunday morning. However, highs have been around the 50-degree mark, which is 1 degree above average.

Before the excitement begins, many of you have seen the snowflake icon on some of your weather apps for the upcoming weekend and beyond. The strong blocking ridge of high pressure will break down, allowing colder weather systems from the north to cover Washington and Oregon with a cold rain here at the surface and much-needed snow in the mountains.

Some but not all forecast charts show low-elevation snow levels, which at this time are marginal for any sticking snow here at city levels. The best time, if we had to pick one, would be overnight when it is naturally cooler and under any heavier showers. The pattern is not one for a full-fledged snow event, at least not yet. As we get closer, it will become clearer what may unfold.

The sad news for some is that we lose the predictable days of sunny weather and trade for more normal winter weather with weather systems moving through with precipitation. The overnight lows will rise while the daytime highs will lower. If we can get an arctic airmass down to the Columbia River either from the north or via easterly winds through the Gorge, then we have a setup for a blanket of snow. Small chance right now.

I’m watching the far north for a gathering of cold which is the first ingredient. I mentioned here earlier how mild and snowless Anchorage, Alaska has been since Dec. 1. Fairbanks, which is usually in a deep freeze this time of the year, had a record high Sunday of 39 degrees and with a cold front moving into Alaska from northern Russia, temperatures may drop 100 degrees to minus 40 degrees later in the week.

Cold air will flow into the Gulf of Alaska and a large low-pressure system will be off our coast with bands of moisture rolling inland by Friday. Cold maritime air brings low snow levels, and a mix of rain and snow is possible anywhere across Western Washington. Precipitation could be heavy at times. Nothing to fret about yet, only typical weather that we should have been having instead of the long string of sunny dry days in January.