PORTLAND, Ore. — The Portland metro area has another chance to see snow Wednesday night into Thursday morning. It's likely that low elevations will see only rain, but metro hills above 500 feet could see accumulating snow, according to KGW meteorologist Rod Hill.
The National Weather Service (NWS) in Portland has issued a Winter Weather Advisory for parts of the Portland-Vancouver metro area and Clark County Wednesday night into Thursday morning. The city of Portland issued an emergency declaration Wednesday evening.
There's a chance the east winds will lower snow levels in the Willamette Valley to near 1,000 feet Wednesday night. That would bring at least the chance of sticking snow in Portland's West Hills and other areas with elevations above 500 feet, Hill said. Areas with lower elevations in the valley will stay above freezing to see all rain or a snow mix.
"The chance of sticking snow below 1,000 feet is 50-50 at best," Hill said.
On Tuesday, the NWS shared a graphic on X, formerly known as Twitter, comparing the most likely scenario to the "worst case scenario." The agency said the Portland metro area will most likely see rain, with temperatures hovering between 35 to 40 degrees. The NWS said there's a 10% chance of the "worst case scenario" happening: Temperatures fall to around 31 to 33 degrees, with four to six inches of snow.
Multnomah County and transportation officials respond to snow chance; severe weather shelters will open
With the possibility of snow in the Portland metro area, Multnomah County Chair Jessica Vega Pederson will declare a state of emergency, starting at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, to open severe weather shelters at 8 p.m. Pets are allowed. The county has a list of those shelters available online.
TriMet is preparing "as though there will be snow tonight," the agency said in a news release. The agency reminded riders to check their website for the latest information on service.
The Portland Bureau of Transportation asked people to prepare for potential snow and to sign up for winter travel alerts.
Snow in the Cascades, the Gorge, the Coast Range
The Cascades and the Columbia River Gorge are under a Winter Storm Warning. Weather models show snow falling at 9 p.m. on Wednesday, according to Hill. Mount Hood will likely see 10 to 20 inches of snow through Thursday.
"The Cascade snowpack will benefit from expected snowfall of 10-20 inches. Current Mount Hood snowpack sits at 71% of normal, in need of fresh snow," Hill said.
In the Gorge, lower elevations along Interstate 84 could start to see sticking snow after sunset, with four to eight inches possible through Thursday morning.
The northern Oregon Coast Range will see accumulating snow along the east slope Wednesday night into Thursday morning, with up to six inches possible for areas 1,600 feet and higher, Hill said.
