Happy stormy Saturday!
Opening up a weekend Daily Drip thread for weather-related matters, and anything else that pops up. We had some heavy rain roll through between 4 and 5 this morning, leaving a few thousand power outages. Now (at almost 8 AM) radar is showing cells of showers moving north through the valley, and some look pretty heavy. At the same time, a searingly bright sun just broke through the clouds to the east.
Let’s ask the National Weather Service what’s on tap for Portland:
…HIGH WIND WARNING NOW IN EFFECT FROM 8 AM THIS MORNING TO 8 PM PDT THIS EVENING…
* WINDS…South 25 to 35 mph with gusts 40 to 50 mph. (Note: that’s down from earlier predictions of 55 peak gusts. Other forecasts still say 55. We’ll see). Coastal gusts could still pop 75, but they haven’t yet.
* TIMING…Windy conditions from this morning through early
evening. The strongest gusts will likely occur late morning
through early evening.
* IMPACTS…Strong winds may damage trees and bring down branches and power lines. Localized power outages are possible. Travel may be difficult, especially for high profile vehicles. (I wouldn’t be driving the Oscar Meyer Weinermobile over the Glenn Jackson Bridge today).
Even before the strongest winds begin, PGE reports over 3,000 customers are out of power, with Washington County leading the way at 2080. Looks like a chunk of Tigard may have lost the juice at 5 AM.
Lots of people are flying home today, as Washington’s spring break comes to an end. You’ll experience some choppiness up in the sky; as the NWS puts it…”A strong low pressure offshore will bring an increasingly unstable airmass and windy conditions to the region today.” Bouncy! Be sure to check the flight status. Quite a few flights are running late.
Also from the NWS: Snow will be dumping in the High Cascades later today and Sunday, with snow levels lowering to around pass level tonight. Roads may be slick at times, with periods of reduced visibility possible.
So if you encounter anything you’d like to share, please do!
Portland's Daily Drip 