Local Alert Day today as wind, rain, and snow impact the area once again

(KTVZ, Bend Ore.) Local Alert Weather Day once again today, as cold rain, wintry mix and mountain snow impact the region.  Alert Days are issued when the weather will be impacting your plans, so we highlight the issues that will cause problems so you can stay safe and adjust your plans accordingly.

A Winter Weather Advisory is in place for southern and western portions of Deschutes County along with the Western third of Jefferson County from now until just after midnight. I am expecting 1 -2" of snow may accumulate on some grassy areas at elevations near 4800 feet. Generally a mix of rain and snow is expected today.

There may be as much as 6 to 10 inches of snow above 5000 feet by the time Sunday afternoon rolls around. Slick roads and a wintry mix of cold rain and snow is possible through the area.

Today is the third round of impactful weather as the first passed through Friday. Friday winds were very robust, reaching 58 mph in Bend and causing some damage and a few power outages. Our system Saturday generated gusts near 50mph in Bend and Madras. Today the main issue is the precipitation, which will be a mix of rain and snow, but don't be surprised if you see some snow on your back deck this morning if you live in Sunriver or La Pine, or Sisters.

The reason for the lack of accumulating snow in some locations is the fact that we were in the 70 most of the week, but again, the grassy areas will see some measurable snow (1 – 2”) and roads will be slushy.

This afternoon the wintry mix of rain and snow begins to taper off.  Winds will be less intense, but still gust near 20 mph at times. Highs will only reach the upper 40s. Sunday looks to be the most impactful day and will be a rare third day in a row of a Local Alert Day.

The colder than normal pattern will linger into Monday as the region is still not out of the woods with the rainy pattern. There are several waves lined up to arrive in the Pacific Northwest this week, but may not impact Central Oregon directly. We will continue to fine tune this portion of the forecast as we move through the weekend.

Please, Stay safe.

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