A cold front moved across the region today, bringing steady rain and cold temperatures. Just three weeks ago we had an afternoon high of 82°, but today we struggled to get above 50°! Now a cold, unstable air mass is flowing inland behind the front, and that will stay with us tomorrow and into Friday. We will see periods of showers, then sun, then showers again etc…

The air is unstable enough that any of the showers tomorrow afternoon could contain rain and/or lightning. Most of us won’t see any thunder, but just know it’s a possibility. Showers will move quickly enough that the rains won’t last long enough to cause flooding, unless the leaves are stuck in a drain.

Rain totals over the next 2 days will likely exceed an inch and some spots could rise to around 2″ in the western valleys. The wet season is here and the ground will be soaked by the time we wrap up the work week Friday night.

A few more showers are coming on Saturday and again on Monday. The only good chance for a dry day is Sunday or, more likely, the middle of next week.

Cascading snow: Snow levels in the Cascades will fluctuate between passing and 5,000′ over the next two days. With all these showers, the snow will accumulate up there. Not a big storm, but by late Friday there could be 12-18 inches on the ground at Timberline and higher parts of the Meadows Ski Area, with 5-10 inches possible at Government Camp. The Winter Weather Advisory is in effect for the Mt. Hood and Winter Storm Warning from Santiam Pass to the south.

FIRST WEATHER DAY ALERT: We will call Friday morning commute time a first day of meteorological alert. Primarily for the south metro in the Willamette Valley. The rest of the day will see only scattered showers and normal breezes.

Enough weather forecast models are producing gusty southerly winds (for power outages) and heavy rain in places (possibly for some road flooding) that it’s clear some people will see an impact on their morning commute. Strong wind gusts will likely only reach the southern half of the metro area (Newberg, Wilsonville, Canby and south) in the valley. Strong winds are unlikely for most of us in the metro area, but we’ll see what future model runs show.

Not a large or significant storm, but enough action to warrant a minor FAWD.

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