County officials are bracing as gusty winds blow through the region today, ahead of a possible transition snow and ice storms Thursday night and Friday.
The wind — which is forecast to reach to reach speeds of 20 to 35 mph, with gusts up to 50 mph, and last through tomorrow — has already knocked out power temporarily for thousands of customers around the county.
About 4,500 customers had their power restored following earlier outages by around 2:30 p.m., but about 300 still didn’t have electricity, according to Clark Public Utilities.
“We are seeing outages across the county, particularly in north county, related to trees an limbs on lines,” utility spokeswoman Erica Erland said. Other small outages were reported in the eastern parts of the county and in Vancouver.
More utility workers are standing by. The wind seems to be picking up, she said, and freezing rain may be on the way later Thursday.
“That’s not a great combination for an electric system,” she said.
Thursday is also expected to be windy, with speeds around 30 mph and gusts as high as 48 mph. That night will be breezy with winds around 20 to 22 mph, and gusts up to 32 mph.
Forecasters at the National Weather Service in Portland say snowfall will start Thursday evening, possibly late afternoon, then turn into freezing rain overnight through early Friday morning.
The Vancouver-Portland metro area might see up to 2 inches of snowfall before the rain starts.
Forecasts predict around two-tenths to four-tenths of an inch of ice, which might lead to more tree damage and slippery driving conditions.
The weather service’s forecasters expect Friday and Friday night will be rainy, with some possible freezing rain in the mix and temperatures above freezing.
Forecasters say Vancouver may see some light snow, with some mixed-in freezing rain or sleet, before 10 a.m. Friday, then rain or freezing rain. The day’s high will be around 36 degrees. That night may see some freezing rain, then all rain after 10 p.m., with a low around 34 degrees.
Vancouver Public Works spokeswoman Loretta Callahan said work crews were out overnight Tuesday night and early this morning applying deicer over heavily trafficked areas that support public safety and emergency services, as well as overpasses, hills and common cold-weather trouble spots.
“The key with deicer is having some good dry conditions to put it down and have it stick,” she said. “On the other hand, keep in mind this potential combo we have of this snow and freezing rain, if that’s what we get, can be particularly difficult and slick.”
Especially if the snow’s wet or not that deep, she said; plows can’t do much for inch-or-two accumulations.
Jeff Mize, spokesman for Clark County Public Works, said county crews have been out applying deicing solution to the roads as well.
“Just prepping the roads in advance and waiting to see what happens like everyone else,” he said.
Still, he said, whatever happens sounds like it might not last long.
Even with the possible ice, Friday isn’t forecast to be especially frigid, and rain and temperatures in the higher 30s to 40s are forecast for the weekend.
