By Rod Hill on 2013-12-12
Another cold morning with temperatures across much of the Portland - Salem metro area in the low to mid 20s. Increasing cloud cover and cold east winds blowing out of the gorge will make it difficult for spotty areas to warm above freezing as rain arrives around the noon hour. Be sure and check the temperature and radar later this morning as a rain band approaches.
Areas below 32 degrees when the moisture arrives will see freezing rain. By definition, freezing rain is precipitation that falls as liquid rain all the way to the surface and then freezes into ice upon impact with the ground, tree branches or what ever frozen surface the raindrop lands. Most people agree that freezing rain is a drivers worst nightmare as land areas quickly turn into a sheet of ice.
Areas most likely to see freezing rain this afternoon with temperatures below 32 degrees are the Columbia river Gorge and the Willamette Valley between Albany and Salem. 7:00 a.m. temperatures this morning were 20 degrees at Hood River, 18 degrees in Corvallis and 17 degrees in Eugene. Other areas to watch are northern Clark County, including Ridgefield where temperatures struggled to warm Wednesday afternoon and spotty areas near Forest Grove and McMinnville.
The approaching cold front will weaken as it pushes inland today and encounters the remnants of the much colder Arctic air mass. The weakening of the frontal boundary may lead to some areas staying below freezing with icy conditions longer than expected.
Be sure and keep updated today until your temperature warms above freezing.
Icy Weather Possible Through Thursday Morning