Weather front: a little bit of everything is coming our way

By Bill Roberson, KATU.com Published: Feb 15, 2011 at 2:22 PM PDT Last Updated: Feb 15, 2011 at 2:46 PM PDT
Weather front: a little bit of everything is coming our way

PORTLAND, Ore. - Weather warnings and watches are stacking up for the Northwest as a cool, unsettled weather system rolls over the region for the next couple of days.

"It's going to be fun over the next few days," KATU Meteorologist Dave Salesky said in an email to KATU.com ahead of his shift on Tuesday.

"Expect just about everything mother nature has to offer: rain showers, heavy mountain snow, thunder, lightning, heck maybe even a cold air funnel cloud," he added.

Official weather bulletins from the National Weather Service have included warnings for "cold air funnel clouds," which are similar to tornadoes and can do damage if they make it to the ground, which they only rarely do.

"With remarkably cold air over us, snow levels will plummet," Salesky continued. "I still think sticking snow in the hills around Portland is likely. Under heavier showers, snow levels will drop temporally even lower. Cars, lawns and even side roads might become briefly snow-covered. Showers come to and end and melting starts. Daytime highs still expect to stay in the 40s, night time lows above 32."

Salesky said the West Hills could see sticking snow as the snow level drops to 1,000 feet and snow could fall down to the valley floors for brief periods as cold shower cells pass over, but no large accumulations are expected and daytime temperatures are expected to remain well above freezing. Towards the end of the week, overnight lows may come close to 30, however.

That's not the case east of the Cascades, however, as Bend called on private contractors to help city crews clear streets after getting hammered with heavy snow Monday into Tuesday.

Meanwhile, ski resort operators in the Cascades were rejoicing as almost two feet of new snow blanketed icy ski slopes.

A series of warm weather systems followed by cold but mainly snow-free weather systems have melted away a portion of the heavy early snow that fell in the Cascades beginning in November.

The unsettled weather is expected to last at least into Friday.