Three cheers for the weekend, Portlanders: Warmer temperatures and good ol’ rain is on the way.
A winter weather advisory persists through 4 a.m. Saturday, but more favorable conditions are on the horizon. Colby Neuman, a National Weather Service meteorologist, said Portland-area temperatures will warm to above freezing by late Friday or Saturday morning, melting any residual ice.
He urged travelers to consider delaying trips on Interstate 84 from Troutdale to Hood River through at least Saturday afternoon, however. Hood River is under a winter storm warning that calls for four to eight inches of snow and sleet — and up to two-tenths of an inch of ice — through Saturday morning.
The weather service predicts Portland will have a rainy weekend with highs in the 40s. We could also see the return of low-elevation snow before the weekend ends, forecasters said.
Neuman said forecasting models show a chance of snow along the Interstate 5 corridor from the Kelso area into Lane County. Meteorologist Paul Tolleson, his colleague, said the snow could show up Sunday afternoon or evening.
But models often change — take last month’s historic storm, for example — so it’s still too early to talk specifics, Neuman said. The weather service’s Portland forecast calls for little or no snow accumulation Sunday night and Monday.
“Exactly where we’ll get snow, or even if we’ll get snow, we just really don’t know at this point,” Neuman said Friday afternoon. “But it’s something worth monitoring, especially if you’ve got travel plans Sunday evening through Monday morning.”
Check OregonLive.com/weather for the latest weather news.
— Jim Ryan
jryan@oregonian.com
503-221-8005; @Jimryan015
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