UPDATE: Snow possible overnight

The cold weather seems to have finally made a commitment to Clark County.

After a cold front spent hours teasing the area with prospects of snow, confidence was high that lower elevations would see some snowfall by this morning, according to the National Weather Service in Portland.

The snow was expected to begin around midnight, or earlier in the hills, according to the weather service and Yahoo! Weather, with 60 percent chance of precipitation. Any snow should end by noon.

The predicted snow level was 500 feet Wednesday, which included the Hockinson Hills, as well as Amboy, Yacolt and other North County locations. If the cold front followed the predicted path, even low-lying areas may receive snow.

However, the tire chains and snow sleds are not called for quite yet. Not much accumulation was predicted for low-lying areas. At most, a tenth of an inch will remain, according to the weather service.

Icy roads are not predicted to be a problem below 500 feet.

A sudden passage of a Pacific cold front forced a much cooler air mass over Southwest Washington that is expected to continue through the coming weekend.

Saturday is expected to see snow levels drop again. The Saturday system is predicted to have an even greater chance of producing lowland snow

At present, there is not much moisture associated with the anticipated system, meaning some locations may see more of a mix of snow and rain depending on elevation.

No school closures are expected below 500 feet, assuming consistent and accurate weather predictions. To be certain, watch The Columbian’s website for any updates.