Portland area sees pause in rain Friday, prepares for busy weather weekend
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) -- The calm before the storm is expected around the Portland area Friday. Drier skies and average conditions will remain as the Pacific Northwest prepares for more winter-like weather this weekend.
Overcast skies will remain across the Portland area Friday as temperatures stabilize in the mid to upper 40s. Very little rain is expected during the daylight hours Friday in Portland as another round of heavy rain is expected come Friday night.
Heavy rain will start to move through the area after sunset as gusty conditions reach 20 mph. Oregon and Washington's latest storm will increase the rain potential and cool temperatures slightly through the weekend.
Temperatures are only expecting to dip slightly this weekend. The average temperature this time of year is around 46ºF. So, afternoon highs will only be slightly cooler through the start of next week.
Scattered rain showers will also keep conditions cooler Saturday and Sunday. Some weather models are leaning towards lower snow elevations. As these differing weather forecasts remain, the uncertainty of foothill snow elevations continues to be unclear. That's making the KOIN 6 Weather Forecast tricky for Sunday.
What is known is the heavy mountain snow that's expected above 2,000 ft. The National Weather Service putting weather alerts in place for the Cascades stretching form Washington to California. This round of heavy snow will be beneficial for local ski resorts.
Even more winter-like weather is expected with another hit to the thermometer in Portland next week.
That's where a pocket of cold air will dive south by the end of next week. That will help drop daytime highs and overnight lows through much of next week. These will likely be Portland's coldest temperatures of the season so far this winter season.
That cooler temperature trend also comes with more moisture. The KOIN 6 Weather Team will continue to track the latest snow threat for western Oregon and Washington through this latest round of colder weather.