PORTLAND, Ore. — Portland and surrounding areas will deal with below-freezing temperatures for a few more days before things start to warm up later in the week.
According to the latest forecast from KGW, temperatures should get up into the low 40s during the day Monday before dropping down into the mid-20s overnight. Things will stay cold Tuesday and Wednesday night, with low temperatures expected to hover in the mid- to high-20s, though high temperatures Wednesday during the day could reach 50 degrees.
Warmer overnight temperatures should finally arrive Thursday. During the day, temperatures should get up to 50 degrees and will drop only into the high-30s Thursday night, with temperatures expected to stay that way — highs around 50, lows in the high-30s or early-40s — through the weekend.
The dry weather will continue through Thursday morning, with showers developing Thursday and Friday as temperatures warm.
The Portland metro area just wrapped up a bitterly cold weekend with temperatures in the low 20s and wind chill factors that made it feel even colder than that. Multnomah County reported Sunday that "four people were treated for hypothermia at Portland emergency departments Saturday, up from what is typically one visit in late January."
County to close warming shelters
Warming shelters were open Saturday and Sunday, but Multnomah County said it won't reopen the shelters Monday night because "temperatures will not reach the shared severe weather thresholds that Multnomah County and City of Portland officials use."
To open shelters, one of the following thresholds must be met, according to the county:
- Forecasted temperature of 25 degrees or below
- Forecasted snow accumulation of 1 inch or more over a 24-hour period
- Forecasted temperature at or below 32 degrees with 1 inch or more of rain and with sustained winds greater than 10 mph overnight
The county said the National Weather Service expects the overnight low to be "above 25 degrees, with minimal wind and no precipitation."
Outreach workers will distribute extra winter gear Monday night to people who will be sleeping outside in the cold weather, the county said.
