We have an Ice Storm Warning today as we transition out of the ice box and resume normal winter weather of clouds, rain and highs in the upper 40s to low 50s. Good news for everyone, I’m sure. We should rise above freezing late tonight into early Wednesday, except in the Gorge which will take a bit longer.
Our overnight low temperatures the past three nights on Saturday, Sunday and Monday were 17 degrees. We did manage with some sunshine Monday, to reach 31 degrees briefly in the early afternoon but as the sun lowered in the sky, we fell back into the 20s. Another cold night was in the offing. It has been a while since we had such cold weather in January, perhaps some 30 years.
In Vancouver, we didn’t set any low temperature records even though it felt bitterly cold, especially with the windy conditions. The record low for Saturday was 7 degrees in 1930, minus 1 degree in 1909 for Sunday and 5 degrees in 1907 for Monday. So, our trio of 17 degrees were much higher.
After we rise back into the 40s on Wednesday, we have rain in the forecast each day through the weekend. Snow levels rise above some of the passes but remain frozen at the higher ski areas with a foot or more snow on tap. Snow amounts varied around the region, but Clark and Cowlitz counties were the big winners. That was quite a cold air mass that slipped down from Canada last week. Way below zero in Montana and beyond and below zero in Eastern Washington. That makes for plenty of cold air trapped in the Columbia Basin feeding into the local area until south winds can take over.
