Friday Morning Snow Update

4pm Thursday…

It’s a cool day with temperatures just into the low-mid 40s this hour.  At least it LOOKS like those brighter days of late winter even if it doesn’t FEEL like it.

Here’s the latest for tomorrow…first the TV graphic and then I’ll add more info below:

ADDITIONAL HIGHLIGHTS

• Snow showers arrive around daybreak or just before that time in the metro area
• Most of the snow showers will be on west and north side of the metro area
• Whatever falls before 10am could easily stick with temperatures close to freezing
• I doubt we’ll see anything other than slush on main roads for most of us
• Many of us in the metro area will just stay dry or get flurries that barely stick.  This is what we call a “conversational snow”; one that won’t affect most of our lives.

COAST

With more moisture along the coast this is one of the better places to find snow tomorrow morning.  That means up to 1″ could fall on any of the beaches/coastal cities in the morning hours.  Mainly from Tillamook north

COAST RANGE

This is the snowiest spot…I expect 3-5″ in the Coast Range above 500′ or so.  Camp 18 could be a winter wonderland by 10am!  Expect snow-covered highways off/on throughout the day up there.

GORGE

Forget it, no cold east wind and mainly dry anyway.  I-84 totally clear with a high 40-45

SALEM/EUGENE

It’s unlikely either location gets more than a dusting, or it’ll just be a couple degrees too warm for any “stickage”

The big issue with tomorrow is lack of moisture (if you want 1, 2, 3″ or more snow).  A surface low pressure system will be dropping south along the coastline during the day, taking most of the showers with it offshore and over/west of the Coast Range.  That leaves the main population centers of the Willamette Valley and SW Washington with very light precipitation.  It will be cold enough between late tonight and around 10am tomorrow for snow to stick all the way down to sea level.  Beyond that time (midday and afternoon), it’ll be too warm for snow to stick at the lowest elevations.

That’s it for now, just got in from a school visit (very late!) and I’ll be on the air starting at 5pm…busy day!

Chief Meteorologist Mark Nelsen