Southwest Washington and Northwest Oregon should brace for another round of rough winter weather for the rest the week.
The National Weather Service issued a wind advisory starting Wednesday and a winter storm watch starting Thursday evening for the Vancouver and Portland metro areas.
From 4 a.m. Wednesday to 4 a.m. Friday, parts of Clark County, especially those near the Columbia River Gorge, should expect east winds blowing steadily at 20 to 30 mph, with gusts of 40 to 50 mph.
Gerald Macke, a metrological technician with the weather service, said areas north of the Gorge won’t be as significantly affected.
“It shouldn’t be near so bad in Battle Ground, as far as winds go,” he said.
On Monday, the weather service predicted up to 2 inches of snow around the area on Wednesday. But Macke said dry, cold air hovering beneath a storm system should prevent most precipitation from reaching the ground.
Starting Thursday evening, as much as 2 inches of snow could fall before changing to freezing rain around midnight. Freezing rain could continue into the evening Friday. Ice accumulations could be between two-tenths and four-tenths of an inch.
A winter storm watch for that event is set to take effect at 6 p.m. Thursday.
Forecasters predict that wind and ice could lead to tree damage, power outages and dangerous driving conditions.
Rain is also likely on Saturday, but temperatures are expected to remain above freezing.
