Winter storm moving through the area

Good Tuesday, Central Oregon.  A significant winter storm will make its way through our area this morning through tomorrow.  Expect active winds with a mix of rain and snow early, in the lower elevations, turning to snow by around 10 am.  We may get several inches on the High Desert and the mountains will likely get several feet of snow.  Blowing wind and snow will combine for blizzard conditions in the Cascades, and will translate into the high desert so do stay alert and safe in these conditions.

Blizzard conditions are defined as winds blowing over 35 mph for a period of over 3 hours in combination with falling snow or snow already on the ground creating reduced visibility to a quarter mile or less in some cases. There is a Blizzard warning in place until 4pm Wednesday along the east slopes of the cascades for potential snow accumulations of 10-50 inches and gusts of wind as high as 60mph.

Travel in the mountains should be restricted to emergencies only. La Pine, Sunriver, Lava Butte, Sisters are all currently included but Bend Redmond and Prineville are excluded and instead fall under the WWA.  

The Winter Weather advisory is in place in Central Oregon from 10am today until 4pm Wednesday due to possible expected snow accumulations of 2-5 inches and wind as high as 50 mph blowing drifting snow creating slippery roads and limited visibility on morning and evening commutes.  

A Winter Storm Warning is in place until 4pm Wednesday in parts of Deschutes and Crook Counties and much of Southern Oregon including Lake, Klamath and Harney Counties.  This warning is due to 5-10 inches of possible snow with winds as high as 35mph making travel very difficult to impossible. Areas of blowing snow could significantly reduce visibility

There is also a wind advisory in North Central and Central Oregon as well as much of the area to our north from 4am today until 1pm Wednesday due to west winds of 25-35 mph with gusts up to 55mph expected.  Winds at these speeds can blow unsecured objects, damage trees and cause power outages. 

Winds will be quite active today, out of the west in the breezy to windy range of 15-30 mph but gusts of up to 37mph are possible.  Highs will be in the 30s and 40s and lows will be in the 20s.

Don’t forget to download the KTVZ weather app to stay safe and informed.

iOS: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/ktvz-local-alert-weather-app/id1088330817 

Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ktvz.android.weather&hl=en_US