Rainy weekend, mountain snow and wintry mix, Winter Weather Advisory in place
The east face of the Cascades, along with the entire Central Oregon Range is under a Winter Weather Advisory starting Saturday morning at 5 am, ending at 11 am Sunday. This includes western portions of Deschutes and Jefferson Counties. Sisters may see a few inches as well as Sunriver and La Pine. The chance for some snow over the Cascades is likely to be impactful to those traveling through our mountain passes. The fact that it is early May, and that we have over 14 hours of 'daytime', makes it hard for the snow to accumulate but slushy and icy roads are still a concern.
Eastern Deschutes County and most of Crook County are also under a Winter Weather Advisory for snow above 4000 feet. This will be in effect from 5 am Saturday through 11 pm Sunday. Roads are not frozen, so significant melting will occur. Folks in Prineville and other areas in Crook County do need to be aware of slick roads and reduced visibility.
Today, Friday, we hit the upper 50s and low 60s. Since there is no region below 4500 feet frozen this week, it will be difficult for any snow to accumulate as much as the models are anticipating. That being said, there will be snow off and on along the eastern face of the Cascades and travel will be impacted. Visibility and slick roads will be a concern. South of Sunriver will also have a chance for some wet snow, but little accumulation on any road surfaces as they are well above freezing.
The snow will mingle with the rain in the High Desert this weekend. Beneficial rain is likely across the land helping to push out some of the spring foliage that has been suppressed a bit in this cold snap. The rain will be cold, as temps on Saturday will only be in the upper 40s to low 50s, but the ground is not frozen, so it will soak in nicely.
Sunday will see the showers tapering off, and the mountain snow linger. The Winter Weather Advisory is likely to be allowed to expire as conditions improve. There will be some lingering rain and mountain snow Sunday, but there may be some breaks in the clouds as well.
Monday will likely be the last day of the wintry precipitation as the region looks to finally start to turn the corner toward Spring.
Highs will still be 10 – 15 degrees below normal but trending milder as the week moves along. There is hope of a 70 degree day by next Friday. Looks like at least one more wintry weekend in Central Oregon, then a taste of Spring.
Stay Safe
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