Portland may be in for more snow — potentially a slight dusting Thursday night and heavier accumulation on Saturday.
Colby Neuman, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service’s Portland office, said northwest Oregon and southwest Washington may receive slight snowfall Thursday night and into Friday morning.
“We’re looking at a dusting of maybe half an inch of snow at most in the heaviest locations, so it’s not going to be a major snow storm,” Neuman said.
Parts of the Columbia River Gorge, which saw heavier accumulation earlier in the week, can also expect snow over the weekend.
Snow and ice blanket Hood River, Ore., Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2019. Winter weather complicated commutes in parts of Oregon Tuesday and may return later in the week.
Moriah Ratner / OPB
During the daytime Friday any snow that might have accumulated at lower levels will melt, Neuman said.
But, heading into the weekend, the Portland area may see more accumulation — specifically on Saturday.
On Friday night, snow levels will be low enough that spots in the Coast Range and the Cascades will get some flakes. In lower-elevation locations like Portland, Salem and Eugene, this will probably just present as rain, Neuman said.
“Then, late into [Friday] night into Saturday, snow levels should lower further and there is definitely some risk for snow to accumulate,” he said. “At this point, it’s just too early to say how much and where.”
Neuman said the potential for any snow at all in the Portland area still isn’t a guarantee.
“The risk for this weekend’s snow event is that there is potential for heavier snow, there’s just a lot of uncertainty,” he said. “It may end up being like this last storm system where places see half an inch, an inch, maybe two inches, and then other places will see basically nothing. There could be spots that see more.”
If there is snow accumulation, the main risk for the area is low temperatures which would lead to slower snow melt, Neuman said.
“With the storm [Tuesday], a lot of the area snow was able to melt, at least in sunny areas. That may happen less so if we do get any snow over the weekend, just because that late Sunday-Monday timeframe is going to be colder,” he said.
