PNW Blizzard, Winter Storm Warning in Effect Feb 11th-13th
UPDATED February 10th 2021 5:00 PM
The National Weather Service has upgraded their Winter Storm Watch to a Winter Blizzard Storm Warning and has extended the advisory from February 11th-12th to February 11th-13th.
“A series of pacific storms will bring a mix of frozen wintery precipitation to much of the region Thursday into Friday. Another round of frozen precipitation will spread across the region Friday night into Saturday,” reads the advisory.
Local meteorologist Temira Lital, of The Gorge is My Gym and Temira’s Awesome Travel Advisory Service (TATAS) said in her forecast today that “This is a serious, dangerous winter storm with life-threatening cold, zero-visibility driving conditions, and the potential for ice-related power outages on Sunday night. Don't f*** around. Make sure your sled and BC ski gear are ready. Bring your sensitive plants and body parts inside. Stock your fridge with food. And for the love of the stars, fire up a huge pot of chicken stock and set it outside to cool. Safe travels.”
Strong winds could cause tree damage.
Temperatures will be falling on Thursday, with temperatures into the teens Thursday night.
With the strong winds, expect wind chill values from 10 above to 15 below zero.
Communities that will be affected include
In Washington: Eastern and Western Columbia River Gorge including the cities of Corbett, Rooster Rock, Multnomah Falls, Cascade Locks, North Bonneville, and Stevenson.
In Oregon: Eastern and Western Columbia River Gorge of Oregon, Foothills of the Southern Blue Mountains of Oregon, North Central Oregon and Central Oregon
TRAVEL IS NOT ADVISED
“First off, I-84 ain't staying open Friday night, or my name isn't TATAS.” said TATAS. “ODOT's going to take one look at 1.2” precip and 50-60mph easterlies and slam those gates shut. Hopefully they do that before the massive pileups and not after.”
Travel will be very challenging at times, mainly later Thursday afternoon through Friday morning. Blowing snow could significantly reduce visibility. Plan on slippery road conditions.
Travel should be restricted to emergencies only. If you must travel, have a winter survival kit with you. If you get stranded, stay with your vehicle. The latest road conditions for the state you are calling from can be obtained by calling 511.
Thursday
”Snow starts up Thursday morning (how's 16 degrees sound for a start to the day) and keeps falling. By Friday morning, everyone has 1” (Goldendale) to 4” (Parkdale, Hood River). Not mentioned? 2-3” for you, except east of The Dalles, where Biggs (sad trees almost in bloom) gets 1/2” and people east of there don't get sh*t.” said Temira Lital’s TATAS forecast. “Easterlies kick it up…50-60 in the afternoon with Stevenson at 35-45. High temp: 20. Calculate the wind chill and you get... butt a** cold,” said TATAS.
On Friday get ready for the start of the really nasty stuff.
TATAS Local Snow Forecast for Friday:
10-14” for Troutdale, Cascade Locks (with massive drifting there and other windy locations), Parkdale, and Trout Lake, BZ, Husum, Stabler, Stevenson,” forecasts TATAS.
6-9” Underwood, Odell, Hood River, White Salmon, Snowden, Appleton, Mosier.”
3-5” South Wasco, Goldendale, The Dalles, and east of there.
Easterlies Friday night: 50-60mph at Rooster and 35-45 at Cascade Locks for a sure-fire freeway shutdown and Blizzard Warning.
“So seriously, all laughter aside. DO NOT drive the western Gorge Friday night after about 4pm.” said TATAS “Here's what you will find if you do: zero visibility with blowing and drifting snow. High temp Friday: 21. Oh, and one more thing I forgot to mention: locations exposed to the east wind (High Prarie, South Wasco, Parkdale, to name a few) could pick up significantly more snow due to orographic effects from the easterlies. Just worth keepin' an eye on that!”
Saturday Forecast
“1-3” additional snow for everyone with a low temp in the teens and high temp in the mid 20's. Easterlies sit at 50-60 mph,’ said TATAS
Sunday Forecast
“Get ready for ANOTHER sh*tshow on Sunday night.” said TATAS
“Models like the idea of 1.0” water equivalent for another foot of snow. But wait, there's a catch. Warm, moisture-laden air slides atop cold air in place. The metro area and western reaches of the Gorge shift to heavy freezing rain. Adios, power. It's possible folks east of Carson will stay in the snow zone. Considerable uncertainty exists, mostly because I'm not going to put any bets on anything yet. Don't drive the Gorge Sunday night, okay?”
TATAS forecast is made possible by donations from the community.
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Source. A Tweet from the National Weather Service shows the area affected by the winter storm watch.
Hood River’s Weekly forecast from The National Weather Service’s website. Click on image to enlarge.
Original Post: February 9th, 2021
The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Storm Warning for Thursday February 11th through the 12th for Washington, the Western Columbia River Gorge and Central Columbia River Gorge. Including Hood River Valley, Parkdale, Odell, Corbett, Rooster Rock, Multnomah Falls, Cascade Locks, Hood River, North Bonneville, Stevenson, Carson, and Underwood.
The storms may include: 4”-10” inches of snow at higher elevations. Cold temperatures in the 20’s in the Western Gorge and 30’s in the Eastern Gorge. 45 mph winds with gusts of 45-60 mph west of Cascade Locks.
The Dalles weekly forecast from The National Weather Service’s website. Click on image to enlarge.
According to a press release from The City of The Dalles, “The City of The Dalles Public Works Department is making sure equipment is ready to respond to this late winter storm event. But City resources will be stretched to capacity once the snows begin. The job of snow removal is too big for City crews to tackle alone.”
According to local meteorologists not one but two winter storms are currently headed in the direction of the Columbia River Gorge this week. So now is a good time to make sure you’re prepared to weather the storm(s).
“This week we have not one, but at least TWO quite juicy storms aimed in our general direction, which will do their part to serve up quite the whammy of a situation,” said Temira’s Awesome Travel Advisory Service (TATAS).
“The first of these storms should come in sometime on Thursday, and by the evening steady snow should be falling. This snow will likely not stop until sometime Sunday morning, and by that time we could easily have a couple of feet (or more) of snow on the ground. The Cascades will get even more, so get those powder boards out and get them nice and waxed up. La Nina is ready to deliver.” said Cap Kirk at TATAS.
Source. The City of The Dalles.
For more winter weather response information and a flyer about safe sidewalks and snow shoveling safety go to thedalles.org/transportation.
You can save yourself the hassle and cost of fixing frozen pipes by taking a few simple steps before the upcoming cold snap. A frozen pipe prevention checklist is available on the City of The Dalles website at thedalles.org/water_distribution.
