Snow and blizzard conditions in the northwest during the weekend

First blizzard in almost a decade

The first wave of winter weather is expected to arrive Thursday afternoon, as a rapid storm plunges into the state of Oregon.

This system has 10 million people on winter weather warnings in the Pacific Northwest, with up to 2 to 5 inches of snow possible for the Portland Metro through Friday afternoon, with amounts higher than 6 to 10 inches forecast in the Hood River area.

Here, gusts close to hurricane strength will be coupled with blinding snowfall to the height of nearly a foot of fresh snow by Friday afternoon.

“The trips will be difficult at times, mainly from the end of Thursday afternoon to Friday morning. Widespread blowing snow could drastically reduce visibility to 1/4 mile or less, ”says the National Weather Service office in Portland.

To the north, Seattle today appears to be quieter, with generally less than an inch of snow in the lower areas of the north side of Puget Sound.

However, locations south of Puget Sound, including Tacoma and Pierce counties, could see up to 2 to 3 inches of snow, with higher isolated amounts possible.

A year of snow in one day for Seattle

The blockbuster snow event will arrive late Friday through Saturday, pulling closer to Washington State and setting the stage for more snowfall.

“While there is still uncertainty despite the proximity of the start of the event, this event will aim to provide more snow to more of the region,” says the NWS office in Seattle.

This is when the combination of storm track, humidity, and cold air can work together to produce up to 7-10 inches in the Seattle subway and an additional 3-7 inches in the Portland metro.

The impacts could be significant, as the system is expected to produce snow for good by the time of the evening drive to Seattle.

For historical context, Seattle would need just over 7 inches of snow on Friday to place it in the top 10 snowiest days on record.

The city recently recorded 6.4 inches of snow on February 8, 2019, but even these types of snow days are rare in Seattle.

These totals are eclipsed by the totals predicted for the high elevations of the Cascades in Washington and northern Oregon.

Here, up to 2-3 feet of snow is expected to accumulate by Valentine’s Day, making travel conditions difficult for anyone considering crossing the passes in the region. While piercing gusts of wind are to be expected at these higher elevations, cities like Portland and Seattle will also be fanned by gusts of 25 to 40 mph during these storms, sometimes causing wind chills in cities. respective to teenagers.

In towns like Multnomah Falls, Oregon in the Columbia River Gorge, venture outside and you’ll be greeted by 40-60mph gusts and blinding snow in the height of storms.

The evolution of this second storm takes into account the amount of cold air that will remain in place for the arrival of the third and last storm of this winter model.

A third chance for snow on Valentine’s Day

The last act of the Three Storms is expected to be served late Sunday through Monday.

While the unusually cold air is expected to linger until Valentine’s Day, the jury is still out on how cold the air mass will be and whether that might be enough to withstand the low-level snow for Portland and Seattle.

At this point, models suggest at least a mixture of rain and snow, as the trio of winter storms come to an end.

“While many thought we might have missed winter, it looks like it was just taking a little break,” says NWS Portland.