Weather Eye: Best chance of snow arrives Wednesday

I noticed that the grocery stores were a bit on the busy side here in Clark County on Saturday with the threat of snow in the air. My last writing gave the potential for a good cold and snow event but no solid bets. Why?

Forecast charts often bring the cold and snow too fast and too intense. So, as I looked at things Saturday afternoon, it appeared this way. Listen to forecasts tonight as I’m sure the details will need fine tuning. Rain or showers today, no worries.

Monday morning will have showers and snow levels dropping to 800 feet in our foothills.

The bulk of the modified arctic air will stay north of us. Seattle is forecast to have highs Monday through Wednesday below freezing. Locally, unless we get some strong east winds, we will remain around freezing or above. That makes any snow falling difficult to stick and pile up.

A weather system moves inland over Oregon Monday night and could give some snow showers but again no subfreezing temperatures below 200-500 feet. Possible light local accumulations. Tuesday’s high will be in the thirties with possible flurries or sprinkles.

The best chance of winter weather will be Wednesday and Thursday. Cold air will have settled down east of the Cascades in the Columbian Basin. A strong storm is forecast to reach the northern Oregon coast Wednesday. That would bring cold air down the Gorge over us and with warmer moisture overriding it, bingo, a good snowstorm with 4-8 inches of snow. The storm may move more northward, which would turn our winds around from the south.

Bottom line, life is pretty much normal until Wednesday. Probably a closed school day if all works out. The cold air is now forecast to move out by Friday and we go back in a split flow situation like we have had all fall and winter. The doldrums. So, this snow appears to be a short-lived event.

However, it is still four days out as I write this, a lot will change so keep informed.