Friday certainly fits the category of a “false spring,” with full sunshine and temperatures hovering around the 60-degree threshold. It was indeed chilly early Friday, however, with most areas dipping to the freezing mark and into the 20s in the rural areas. Vancouver’s official low was 33 degrees. Remember that warm sunshine and blue skies you enjoyed Friday as we return to winter weather for the rest of the month.
Now we get into the details of February’s last stab at winter. As mentioned here earlier in the week, a cold trough of low pressure originating in the Bering Sea will migrate into the Gulf of Alaska and slide southward off the Canadian coast. The coldest air aloft will remain north of Clark County, but it’s possible we will see snowflakes mixing in or falling in the air Monday morning and again Monday night. At this point, I expect any snow cover to grace only our foothills.
Otherwise, besides chilly rain here in the lowlands, the mountains above 2,000 feet will receive heavy snow. On Tuesday, snow levels will rise to 4,000 feet late in the day, and moisture will continue to fall. Upward of 3-4 feet is possible next week in the ski areas. Amazing.
Some brief but heavy snow will fall in the higher coastal ranges before snow levels elevate. The remainder of next week, the heavy rain will continue, and coupled with higher freezing levels and rapid snowmelt, many of the coastal tributaries will reach at least minor flood stage.
