CAMAS — As Teresa Keithley watched her daughter, Modesty Van Dusen, 5, build a snowman in front of a Camas home, she considered how different the scene would have been just a few miles west.
“I’m shocked at how much we got,” Keithley said. “You look at Vancouver or Kelso, it’s nothing.”
While snow from early Saturday continued to disappear Sunday in much of Clark County, some residents — like those in Camas — were still grappling with the elements. With winds changing this week, lowland areas will likely see minimal amounts snow through Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service.
A system Sunday evening was expected to bring mostly rain and a hint of snow in low-elevation areas, especially northern Clark County, said Bill Schneider, a meteorologist with the weather service. Most of the snow was expected to fall above 500 feet, and levels were pegged to rise above 1,500 feet by Monday, Schneider said.
With rain breaking up ice and snow in lowlands early Monday, the morning commute was expected to be fairly manageable, Schneider said.
“It’s going to be very close to freezing but slightly above,” Schneider said. “So that should help to break (ice and snow) down.”
Schneider said the next round of snow could come in small doses Wednesday morning.
Meteorologists previously suggested another dumping of snow was possible throughout the county Sunday night. But warmer winds from the south are expected to be stronger than colder ones from the east early this week, which will likely raise temperatures, Schneider said.
“There may be some eastern winds, but we don’t think they’ll be strong enough to make the air that cold,” Schneider said.
Winds from both directions have aimed toward a low pressure system on the Washington Coast, Schneider said. Early Saturday, some areas around Vancouver and Portland were more affected by cold winds while other areas felt the warmer ones.
Camas got the brunt with reports of 8 inches, while the snowiest spots in Vancouver got about half that amount, according to the weather service.
“Vancouver got more of the cold air, and that’s a lot of the reason Vancouver got more than Portland did,” Schneider said. “Of course, Camas, being closer to the Gorge, has an advantage there. They get more cold air and more snow.”
Battle Ground, which saw 1.8 inches, was a surprise for forecasters, Schneider said. Being close to high elevations, the area often attracts more precipitation.
“But there was some warm air there, so much of that precipitation fell as rain,” Schneider said.
For those who did see significant collections of snow in front of their homes, the timing allowed many to enjoy it before it interrupted their work commutes.
Paul Yates, a maintenance specialist at Underwriters Laboratories in Camas, planned to arrive at work around 2 a.m. Monday to plow the campus before other employees arrived about 5 a.m. For his own Camas driveway, though, he spread his snow-shoveling chore into shorter sessions Saturday and Sunday.
Also, because the snow was not as wet as it often is, it was easier to shovel, Yates said. Then again, the Pennsylvania native is accustomed to the elements.
“I’m from back east, so this isn’t much,” Yates said. “Hopefully, I’ll lose a little more weight doing this.”
