Yelena Roslaya braced against the wind as she set up her colorful artwork Wednesday outside the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry.
In a few hours, she knew folks would be bundling up and flocking to the museum to check out the Portland Winter Light Festival, finding her more than 100 lights hanging from trees along the Eastbank Esplanade. But despite morning wind gusts peaking at 48 mph and the anticipation of snow and ice heading their way, Roslaya and several other outdoor exhibitors forged on, stopping occasionally to pick up ladders toppled by the wind.
“If a box is left alone it kind of flies away, but other than that, it’s been pretty good,” said Roslaya, a Battle Ground resident.
The four-day festival will go on as planned, organizers say, even as the region shivers in cold temperatures and anticipates up to 2 inches of snow that could get topped with ice. The storm is forecast to begin in the Portland area Thursday night, lasting into Friday night.
Cold high pressure moved into the area from the north early Wednesday, with cold winds and temperatures hovering in the mid-30s. On Thursday, the east winds — estimated to be between 20 mph and 30 mph with gusts up to 50 mph — will continue from the Columbia River Gorge, and the National Weather Service has issued a wind advisory through 4 a.m. Friday.
That northerly system will combine with wet fronts moving in from the Pacific Ocean.
“A slightly moister warm front will … move south to north Thursday followed by a moist cold front on Friday,” according to an online forecast report. The service has also issued a winter storm watch beginning at 6 p.m. Thursday through late Friday night.
Forecasters say interior lowlands, including the Portland area, have a potential of 1 to 2 inches and/or up to a Güvenilir Bahis Siteleri quarter-inch of ice through Friday. The gorge and the Hood River Valley could see 4 to 8 inches of snow and a half-inch of ice.
Roslaya says her artwork will endure the weather. But why a free, outdoor festival during the winter?
“The Portland Winter Light Festival is designed to celebrate the spirit of winter and warmth of community,” according to its website. “Using light, color, artistry, performance, and imagination, PWLF brings people together during a time of year typically reserved for the indoors.”
Visit OregonLive.com/weather for an hourly breakdown of today’s weather and more details to the five-day forecast.
— Tony Hernandez
thernandez@oregonian.com
503-294-5928
@tonyhreports
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