PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – Be on guard later this afternoon as conditions are expected to fall off by the evening commute on Tuesday.
Showers will start to pick up closer to the 4 p.m. hour, followed by stormy conditions between 5 and 8 p.m. The timing of this forceful front has been projected to drive through the Portland metro by the commute. If we are lucky, it will hold off until most can travel home and hunker down for a bit.
Swipe through the slideshow below to get an idea of the timing and the range of impact across the Willamette Valley.
As these lines of showers and storms move in, the wind will increase. We may have some gusts that push 25 to 30 mph. The wind will become tamer after the initial front passes. There will definitely be ominous clouds moving in too. This is the type of rain you will not want to get caught out in on foot or bike. Although a fairly dynamic system, it should move through relatively fast. Expecting the main force of this event to be out of here by tonight. The ongoing northwest flow will keep a spotty shower in the forecast tonight.
Weather data is projecting somewhere around a quarter to half an inch of rain out of this storm. That rain total will climb quickly. There may be some moments of ponding on the road. Most bountiful rain totals are expected for the Oregon coast and the Cascade foothills. Due to the bite of this event, there may be some embedded lightning and wind damage. Those conditions should also diminish as the late hours arrive.
Lastly, there will be more mountain snow late tonight into Wednesday. As that cold front reaches the mountains, it will help boost the action while cooling down the atmosphere. A winter weather advisory is in place from 6 p.m. until 6 a.m. Wednesday morning. This will impact locations as low as 4,000′ (Government Camp, US 26). There may be some locations that pick upwards of 10 inches of snow. This is likely from the base of Mt. Hood Meadows up to Timberline.
Conditions slow down on Wednesday.