PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — While weather models currently favor widespread rain for Portland on Wednesday, there remains a 20% to 30% chance that temperatures will stay cold enough to drop 2 to 6 inches of snow on the metro area by Thursday morning.
KOIN 6 Meteorologist Kelley Bayern says that light snowfall is most likely in Portland’s West Hills and at elevations around 1,500 feet and higher.
“Most high-resolution models show the majority of Portland snow-free,” Bayern said. “However, if models are wrong and we stay colder than forecast, we could be in for anywhere around 2 to 6 inches, or more, of widespread snow in the metro area through Thursday morning. Some models continue to trend toward the snowier outcome.”
Any snowfall in the city is currently expected to melt quickly and leave little impact on local traffic. KOIN 6 will continue to monitor Wednesday’s temperatures to more accurately predict Portland’s chance of snow.
“If we don’t break the 40s today and start to see snow showers arrive this evening, we may have a snowstorm knocking on the door,” Bayern said.
Bayern also said it is important to note that unlike the storm in mid-January that crippled the metro area, conditions are not expected to be as icy. Which means it is likely that the city may not be as debilitated as last month when sheets of ice coated the streets and brought down trees.
“We may experience wintry conditions and rounds of mixed snow showers through Friday, but conditions are expected to moderate and warm by the end of the weekend,” Bayern said.
John Ross Ferrara
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