Another winter storm may be on its way to Southwest Washington and Northwest Oregon, bringing with it the possibility of a foot of snow between Sunday afternoon and Monday morning.
The National Weather Service in Portland issued a winter storm watch Saturday morning and lasting through 6 p.m. Monday. Heavy precipitation is expected to begin falling Sunday morning and, as cold air moves in, may transition to snow sometime in the afternoon, said Andy Bryant, a hydrologist with the weather service.
“Basically, the difficulty in the forecast is (determining), ‘Will it get cold enough to bring that snow level down to the valley floor?’” Bryant said.
It’s possible the greater-Vancouver area may get 6 to 12 inches of snow between Sunday night and early Monday morning. The snowfall would likely lighten up moving into Monday. “But, if we get several inches of snow that will obviously have a big impact on people’s Monday morning,” he added.
But, it’s also possible, Bryant said, that the area will just receive cold rain.
Still, the storm is shaping up to be different than last month’s because it won’t be as cold this time around, Bryant said. Low temperatures are expected to hover around 31 to 32 degrees over the next few days. And there may be a mix of rain and snow.
If there is snowfall in the area, it will be heavy and wet, he said, which means more packed snow and less ice. However, there is concern the snow will weigh down trees and power lines, Bryant said.
The high for Sunday is forecast at 39 degrees midday, and will begin to cool off through the afternoon. The low Sunday night is expected to be around 32 degrees and going into Monday morning. Monday’s and Tuesday’s highs will likely be in the mid-30s. Bryant said there is a potential for more light snow Tuesday.
“The message is it’s not going to be a big warm-up,” he said.
Temperatures in the 40s, as well as rain, are expected to return by Thursday and remain throughout the rest of the week.
“We encourage people who are affected to stay informed with forecast updates, because this is definitely not set in stone. We will update through the night and day tomorrow,” Bryant said.
This story will be updated as new information becomes available.
