Mountain snow and high desert wintry mix begins Wednesday
The dry and cool pattern today will be coming to a close tomorrow as an area of low pressure moves into the region. The low will be well to the north tomorrow, but the flow of air is expected to arrive from the southwest and bring along the rain. The temperature readings tomorrow will be in the 50s, so I expect to see mainly rain and very high elevation snow.
The National Weather Service has issued some alerts with respect to the snowfall. A Winter Weather Advisory is in place from 2pm Wednesday until 5 pm Friday for the western portions of Deschutes and Jefferson Counties. Up to 8” total is expected to fall. The actual accumulation of snow will be less since the ground is not frozen, but roads will be slick and dangerous. Linn County is also included in the Advisory so those traveling over the mountains will encounter more snow, likely around 10 – 12".
A Winter Storm Warning is in place for Lane County beginning Wednesday and expiring Friday Afternoon. Over 18” in some pockets may fall, travel through Willamette Pass and Century Drive will be impacted by the snow. Make alternate plans if you can.
The change to our stormy pattern should begin when we get into the late day and overnight hours of Wednesday into Thursday. The mercury in the thermometer will be dropping close to freezing after midnight in the high desert, so a wintry mix of rain and snow will occur. The mountains are likely to see all snow, that may pile up a few inches above 4500 feet. La Pine is around 4300 feet, so there may be some accumulating snow on elevated surfaces and grassy areas. The roads will be slick, as the snow melts into slush pretty much everywhere, so be aware of the travel issues associated with the wet and slushy roads.
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