Weather Eye: Snow or mixed showers are possible all week long

Plenty of excitement last week in the weather department, and if you can believe it, we are not through with it quite yet.

Snow amounts varied, with Wednesday’s storm bringing an inch or 2 to well over a foot on the east side of the county.

The low that we discussed last week off the mouth of the Columbia decided to enjoy itself parked along the beaches, spinning around and sending in heavy bands of snow. Often, the west side of the county scores big, such as Salmon Creek and Felida, but not this time.

Once those east winds broke through in the afternoon, the wet stuff changed to almost powder-like snow, which I saw blowing off rooftops and down the roadways. Even the beaches had snow: Some places along the Oregon Coast reported half a foot or more.

Vancouver had a record snowfall Wednesday, with 4.9 inches, surpassing the 4 inches that fell downtown in 1917. With an arctic air mass delivering easterly winds, Vancouver had a high temperature on Thursday of only 30 degrees — the lowest high temperature for the date.

Friday morning saw a record low of 18 degrees. Saturday morning’s low was a record 16 degrees, breaking the old mark of 20 degrees in 1993. Some of our foothill locations, such as Amboy, had low temperatures in the single digits.

So here is my idea of what the weather looks like the next several days: A cold front was forecast to move over us Saturday night into early today. With the dry and cold air, we may see some wet snow, with amounts varying from a trace to 3 inches around the county. We could see more above 500 to 1,000 feet and in east county, with mixed showers tonight into early Monday.

Another low is modeled to drop down off the mouth of the Columbia on Monday night and Tuesday. That brings back some east winds. If it sets up shop between Astoria and Newport, Ore., we could see bands of snow again. If it remains north of the Columbia River, south winds will keep snow levels higher.

Snow or mixed showers are possible all week long, so stay tuned to the latest forecasts. Chilly winter reigns.

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