Winter storm warning in place, more snow on the way

Happy Tuesday, Central Oregon!

As suspected, the Winter Storm Watch was turned to a Winter Storm Warning at noon Tuesday and will stay in place until 4 a.m. Thursday. This storm will drop 3-5" on much of the High Desert, with areas like La Pine and Crescent getting as much as 6-12" in the next 24 hours.

Tuesday overnight lows will be in the mid-teens to low 20s, with wind-driven snow continuing through the night. We're looking at gusts up to 25 mph.

TRAVEL WARNING: Drivers traveling south into California or over mountain passes Tuesday and Wednesday must use extreme caution and may want to consider adjusting your plans. A Blizzard Warning is in effect until Wednesday at 1 p.m and treacherous travel conditions will exist.

Santiam Pass and Willamette Pass are both expecting as much as two feet of snow to fall in the next 24 hours.

ODOT is prepared to deal with these conditions, but this storm is not expected to lighten up until Thursday morning. At that point, we will see some partial clearing, but extremely cold conditions will settle in. Highs Wednesday through Friday will be in the low to mid-20's and overnight lows will drop close to zero.

Temperatures will begin to moderate this weekend, but stay below average. We will also see a chance of mixed showers through Saturday and Sunday.