Central Oregon preps for a wet weekend of snow and rain

A Winter Storm Warning is in place for the Cascades, eastern slopes, and areas south of Bend from this morning until Sunday night. Heavy mountain snow along with gusty winds will create visibility issues and dangerous travel conditions. Delay travel through the passes, if at all possible. Pack a winter emergency car kit if you cannot. The high desert will see a 1-3” accumulate each day, but then likely see quite a bit of snow melt each afternoon, putting many back where they started. Mountain totals will be between 1-2’ for the weekend.

This morning we’ll see snow showers move across Central Oregon as a surface system passes by. Behind the system, scattered mix showers are expected for the remainder of the day. and a wintry mix and some snow is expected again overnight.

Tomorrow will start mostly dry, with the chance for a stay snow shower. Mixed showers will pick back up again through the second half of the day and continue through the night.

Sunday is a day to watch out for, and also a day that has some uncertainty. Consistent, heavy rain, snow and wintry mix is in the forecast. Some models are predicting very high snow totals in areas across Central Oregon but our temperatures are not conducive for that. Snow totals are proving difficult to narrow down due to all the rain mingled. In the overnight and early morning hours Sunday, heavier snow and mix is likely, but will switch to heavy rain and mix by the afternoon as temperatures heat into the mid and upper 40s. Plan for heavy snowfall across the Cascades. Due to this pattern, localized flooding is possible and something to keep an eye out for.


Happy Friday. Have a good day weekend and stay safe.

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