Snow moves up into the hills, down into the Gorge
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PORTLAND, Ore. – More snow showers were expected to hit the Northwest early Wednesday morning, but as the day dawned, most lowland areas were seeing just a cold rain.
KATU Meteorologist Rhonda Shelby said the snow level would likely rise to above 2,000 feet west of the Cascades as dawn broke. "The threat of snow is over" for valley locations she said.
That wasn't the case in the Columbia River Gorge, however, where more snow piled up in Hood River and other locations into the afternoon. Streets had a thick layer of snow in Hood River and snow also covered lanes of Interstate 84 through the Gorge. View ODOT cameras
Hood River School District officials decided to release students an hour early on Wednesday as the snow continued to come down.
The National Weather Service had forecast 1 to 3 inches of snow in the northern Willamette Valley early Wednesday morning, with more at the higher elevations, which did see some new snow.
But lower elevations around the Portland area missed out on the new round of snow.
Wednesday's winter weather advisory for snow is in effect from 2 a.m. to 10 a.m., the NWS said. A High Wind Warning is also in effect for parts of the Oregon Coast until 10 p.m.
While surface streets and highways around the area remained clear of snow, anyone heading for a mountain pass in either the Cascades or the Coast Range should be prepared for winter driving conditions, including mandatory use of traction chains or other devices according to ODOT.
The Cascades will get 10 to 18 inches of new snow in southwest Washington while the North Oregon Cascades will get 6 to 10 inches, adding to a growing base at ski resorts. Check conditions
The North and Central Oregon coast could also see wind gusts of 55 to 65 mph on Wednesday, the NWS said.
Snow showers moved through the Northwest Tuesday morning, giving the area an early taste of winter. Around Portland, road crews were keeping an eye on conditions but most streets at low elevations remained just wet despite the snow flurries.
“Travelers should check road conditions Wednesday morning and, if warranted, consider leaving later, taking mass transit or staying home,” said Don Hamilton with the Oregon Department of Transportation.
Updates can be found on the TriMet website and a special service alerts updates page.
Meanwhile, transportation crews are monitoring conditions and will continue routine operations to keep streets safe and clean, said Cheryl Kuck with the Portland Bureau of Transportation.
KPTV called this one correctly. How much did KATU pay for their stupid new weather toy that doesn't appear to be capable of predicting anything?
"Rising temperatures push snow up into hills and mountains" I thought it was the "snow level" that was pushed up! rising temperatures only melt snow! Perhaps a gigantic temperature snowplow?
went to Weather Channel site to view a radar images ..For get the snow, you might want to talk about the heavy, rains coming in...looks like they will hit this after noon...
We actually recived no rain or snow in my area. but we sure are getting High Winds.
we are at 38 with 35 mile an hour winds...
And once again the weather predictors are wrong!
Well, Our temperatures are ricing were at 37 degrees. We also have some wind kicking in. Last night we warmed up then our temperatures plummeted to freezing after similar event took place. at any rate.. It is boring weather here.
lets all tell each other crap no one else gives a rats about.  holy diver..yall think this is hurricane sandy?   go stick your collective heads in a snowbank!
Well, We haven't any snow yet, but Frosty is covered in ice. were at 36..Must be the wind chill factor of the fan blowing air into frosty, that he is all iced up. Santa.. He has some ice on him, but not as much as Frosty has..Say I wonder can a fan in the Blow up Decoration make them freeze?