Glazed Exit

Nature will send us one more shot of winter before the thaw.  Plenty of sleet on roads, walkways and roofs around the region, esp western OR.  Grab your Mug for the discussion about our ‘glazed exit’ out of this winter event.

No change today & tonight.  Temps will remain below freezing.  A strong east wind out of the Columbia Gorge will pick up again tomorrow, as a warm system moves into the PNW from the southwest.  We all know the drill - as our heavy, cold ‘Arctic air’ sits at the surface, and warm, wet air moves overhead, we get FREEZING RAIN.  That will be the issue on Tuesday.  It will hit southern areas of the Willamette Valley first, then move north.  

A glazed surface will be deposited on the sleet already in place, and begin to weigh-down limbs, etc as the freezing rain continues.  Warmer air will eventually work its way to the surface, with plain ole’ NW rain wrapping up this storm overnight Tue or early Wed.  Dry winter event in much of western WA, to date.  Patrons north in WA will have longer to wait to get out of the cold air, as the system moves north, outflow winds from the Fraser Gap (and over the Cascade passes) will continue to freeze the rain at the surface.  Whatcom County likely to get SNOW first, then freezing rain before all rain.  Patience.  This is will be a glazed exit out of the current winter episode.

Second Half:  Rain later Wed with on/off rain and showers arriving almost daily through the end of this week, the coming weekend, and on through the end of January.  Mountain snow, at times.  The region’s snowpack has greatly improved during this winter episode.

Ponder Point.  Near the end of January, another super-cold Yukon High Dome may form.  We’ll watch this for movement in our direction.  We hope it will remain bottled-up away from the PNW. Still, it warrants a watch & wait approach.  February is coming into view soon, so keep your Mug handy.

Enjoying the occasional 'wee dram' of whisky in the evenings (‘gotta tell a story, you know),