Wet, mild weather for western Oregon, Washington

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) -- Mild temperatures remain as rain continues to push through western Oregon and Washington on Wednesday.

A mix of heavy rain showers and a few dry moments are expected throughout the day on Wednesday. A few of these rain showers could bring wind gusts up to nearly 20 mph during the afternoon hours. Rain accumulation will be near almost a half inch by the end of the day Wednesday. Snow elevations will remain above 5,000 ft. as valley temperatures hover in the mid-50s.

A few light rain showers will continue across the region through Wednesday night and into Thursday. A few breaks in the clouds will help warm temperatures back into the mid to upper 50s. The peak of Oregon and Washington's latest warming trend will occur Friday afternoon. By the weekend, cooler and below-average temperatures will return to the Pacific Northwest. A nearly 15-degree temperature drop is expected from Friday to Monday.

This sudden temperature drop is due to a blast of cold air moving south over the western and central U.S. early next week. If enough moisture is available, snow elevations could drop to as low as 1,000 to 2,000 ft. next week. So, mountain ski resorts are expected to see another round of heavy, accumulative snow next week. We'll watch closely for a chance of lower elevation snowfall, or a few snow showers over the hilly neighborhoods in Portland.

The cooler weather pattern next week is expected to keep much of western Oregon and Washington feeling more like winter than the spring season.

Good news - the dry weather is expected to last through the Portland Timbers home opener on Saturday.