Our message remains to be prepared for an impactful mix of wintry
precipitation and very cold temperatures, including accumulating
freezing rain, through at least Friday. A very cold upper trough
dropping out of Canada is pushing an arctic air mass through the
Columbia Basin which will filter through, and eventually spill over
the Cascades all the way to the Oregon and Washington coast. Surface
pressure gradients strengthen tonight which will produce strong
easterly winds, especially through the western Columbia River Gorge.
Looking at the gradient between TTD-DLS this afternoon, the -5.6 mb
difference is in good agreement with latest models. The NAM and GFS
both show this peaking around -11 to -13 mb from early Thursday
morning through Friday morning. Wow! Winds are going to be gusting
to around 60-80 mph through the western Gorge (possibly to 100 mph
at Crown Point), and expecting gusts to 40-55 mph in the Portland
metro. Have issued a High Wind Warning for the western Gorge, and
will continue to the Wind Advisory through the metro up until the
Winter Storm Warning begins (more info on that follows).
Wind chill values will likely drop down into
the teens and single digits across much of the area, near zero
across the east Portland/Vancouver metro and into the -5 to -15F
range for the Columbia River Gorge. Even colder wind chill values
appear likely across the highest terrain in the Cascades. Will
maintain a Wind Chill Warning for the south WA/north OR Cascades and
a Wind Chill Advisory for the Gorge, greater Portland/Vancouver
metro, south WA Cascade foothills, and the north OR Cascade
foothills. Make sure to keep your pets warm and take any precautions
you may need to take to prevent pipes from bursting. Anyone who is
exposed to the outdoors and is not dressed properly will be at risk
of developing frostbite and/or hypothermia.
precipitation and very cold temperatures, including accumulating
freezing rain, through at least Friday. A very cold upper trough
dropping out of Canada is pushing an arctic air mass through the
Columbia Basin which will filter through, and eventually spill over
the Cascades all the way to the Oregon and Washington coast. Surface
pressure gradients strengthen tonight which will produce strong
easterly winds, especially through the western Columbia River Gorge.
Looking at the gradient between TTD-DLS this afternoon, the -5.6 mb
difference is in good agreement with latest models. The NAM and GFS
both show this peaking around -11 to -13 mb from early Thursday
morning through Friday morning. Wow! Winds are going to be gusting
to around 60-80 mph through the western Gorge (possibly to 100 mph
at Crown Point), and expecting gusts to 40-55 mph in the Portland
metro. Have issued a High Wind Warning for the western Gorge, and
will continue to the Wind Advisory through the metro up until the
Winter Storm Warning begins (more info on that follows).
Wind chill values will likely drop down into
the teens and single digits across much of the area, near zero
across the east Portland/Vancouver metro and into the -5 to -15F
range for the Columbia River Gorge. Even colder wind chill values
appear likely across the highest terrain in the Cascades. Will
maintain a Wind Chill Warning for the south WA/north OR Cascades and
a Wind Chill Advisory for the Gorge, greater Portland/Vancouver
metro, south WA Cascade foothills, and the north OR Cascade
foothills. Make sure to keep your pets warm and take any precautions
you may need to take to prevent pipes from bursting. Anyone who is
exposed to the outdoors and is not dressed properly will be at risk
of developing frostbite and/or hypothermia.
