Winds relax, stray shower tonight and Christmas Day, snow possible Friday
Bend, Ore (KTVZ)-- The winds have relaxed as the low along the coast has moved well to the north. There is a brief break in the light mix of rain and snow, but more is on the way.
A deep low pressure trough is off the coast and is expected to meander off-shore until late Friday. The results for the Tri-Counties will be occasional rain and snow Christmas Day and a more widespread chance for rain and snow Friday.
Christmas Day will be mild with highs in the low 50s. There will be mostly cloudy skies and a few isolated showers, very few. The low off the coast will be drifting north before it moves south tomorrow, which will make it difficult for us to get any moisture. We may see a few snow showers over the passes, but light and off and on is the best way to define the event. If you are traveling to the Valley or coming home, prepare for some slick roads at times.
Friday will be more active as the low begins to migrate toward the Northern California coast. This will allow a southerly flow to take over in Central Oregon, and provide us with snow mixed with rain. This will likely be a wet snow event with slushy roads and travel issues at times. A Winter Weather Advisory has been issued by the NWS out of Portland for periods of snow late Friday through Early Saturday. Mountains will see 3 - 5" possibly, travel through the passes will be slow.
Not much accumulation as the ground in our area has yet to freeze, but the snow will accumulate on trees. The heavy nature of the wet snow may test the resolve of many tree limbs so a few may crack off under the weight of the wet snow. Pine and fir trees are usually pliable so they will bend well and not break, but it may take a few limbs down.
Saturday begins a string of dry and chilly days. The normal high for this time of year is around 40 and the normal low is around 23. These are close to the forecast highs and lows Saturday and Sunday so the weekend will be a “typical” late December weekend.
The dry pattern continues through the rest of the year.
Have a great holiday week.
Please, Stay safe.
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