Wild winter weather ahead

Happy Sunday, Central Oregon!

The next winter storm is upon us, and this one is primed to be a doozy. Rain, snow, rain and snow at the same time, high winds, all coming our way.

There's a wind advisory for Bend, Redmond, Prineville, Warm Springs and Madras tonight, and every community east of those cities in Central Oregon is in a high wind warning. Starting later this evening, we're expecting to see wind speeds around 30 mph sustained and the potential for gusts over 50 mph.

Snow should start for the east slopes of the Cascades early Monday morning. The winter storm warning has just gone into effect for that area. All of these watches and warnings expire by Monday afternoon.

In terms of snowfall, it looks like there will be vastly different amounts of snow, depending on elevation. Mt. Bachelor may get several feet in the next few days, while Redmond may only get an inch or so.

Our snow levels will actually be rising, along with our temperatures. Highs the next week in Redmond will be about 40 degrees or higher, and by Tuesday, lows will not even dip below freezing. That could lead to heavy amounts of rain or wintry mix for the duration of the storm.

Don't forget to download our free KTVZ Local Alert Weather app for the most current conditions and we'll help keep you safe with customizable alerts.

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