Brrrr!

Statement as of 1:05 PM PST on December 08, 2008

... Turning extremely cold with very low snow levels this weekend
over southwest Washington and northwest Oregon...

The coldest air of the winter season will be settling in over
southwest Washington and northwest Oregon this weekend... bringing
very cold temperatures to the region and snow levels possibly near
the valley floor.

The initial surge of cold air will spread into southwest
Washington and northwest Oregon Friday night as a strong cold
front moves through. While air ahead of this front will be
relatively mild... very cold air behind this front has the
potential to drop snow levels quite low... not unlike a snow event
that occurred in mid November of 2003 which dropped several inches
of snow in the Portland Metro area. While this kind of detail is
not certain at this point... the snow level at the back edge of the
cold front Friday night could turn out to be quite low.

The cold air will continue to stream onshore during the day
Saturday and any showers will likely drop snow to the 500 or 1000
feet elevations. The onshore flow will likely limit the
possibility of the snow reaching the valley floor due to a
significant over water trajectory of the air... as the water
temperatures off the coast remain in the lower 50s.

It appears a reinforcing shot of Arctic air will then spread
through The Gorge and down through western Washington into
northwest Oregon Saturday night and Sunday... and bring the coldest
air to the region in quite some time. At that point... minimum
temperatures could fall into the teens with daytime temperatures
struggling to reach freezing. The possibility of any significant
snow once the main shot of Arctic reaches our area is uncertain at
this time as it is dependent on whether any organized systems will
spread over the area... but the possibility does exist.

Be sure to take precautions this week in advance of the arrival of
the very cold air... such as wrapping pipes... covering foundation
vents... draining outdoor water pipes... and protecting vulnerable
outdoor plants.