Portland braces for a mixed bag of rain, snow showers, and potential thunderstorms as we head into the weekend. According to the National Weather Service, the City of Roses is facing a high near 43 degrees today, with a 90% chance of precipitation and minimal snow accumulation expected. The forecast indicates that rain will take over after 11am, though some areas might get a glimpse of snow showers, especially with a snow level initially set at a meager 500 feet before climbing to 1500 feet in the afternoon.
Tonight, Portlanders should prepare for a breezy evening as showers could escalate to a thunderstorm, while the snow level is likely to dip to 600 feet after midnight, with lows around 34 degrees, the south wind could bring gusts as high as 23 miles per hour, and these conditions suggest a relentless, albeit typical, end to February in the Pacific Northwest, where the skies tend to unleash their soggy fury without much warning. Tomorrow continues this wet trend, with a 100% chance of showers and thunderstorms post 10am and a snow level swinging back to 1500 feet, accompanied by a familiar chilly south wind that's pushing gusts to around 21 mph.
The weekend will remain unpredictable, with the National Weather Service forecasting rain and snow showers turning to all rain after 10am on Saturday, a tease of thunder, and a snow level starting at 400 feet, just to rise to 1000 feet later that day. The high temperature should hover near 44 degrees, as if to remind us of the spring that's struggling to break through the wintry veil.
As we roll into Saturday night, the precipitation is likely to take a brief intermission before coming back as both rain and snow showers, while Sunday offers a reprised dalliance of rain and snow in the morning, then settling into just rain showers as the day warms, yet again the week promises a carousel of mixed precipitation ensuring that Portland sees a blend of winter's last gasp and spring's damp breath. Monday, right on cue, keeps the pattern alive with more rain and snow showers becoming all rain by midday, Portlanders might want to hold on to their hats and their umbrellas, a combination that's become all too necessary in the last gasp of winter as we look ahead to brighter, perhaps drier, spring days.
