Snow, sleet and freezing rain in the forecast for Portland
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Portland is set to see a "wintry mix" over the coming days, which is a nice way of saying we may be in for snow, sleet and — everyone's least favorite form of winter weather — freezing rain.
The big picture: Portland has been sitting under a dry, cold air mass for several days, but a weather system is expected to move in off the Pacific with precipitation starting Thursday morning, said Hannah Chandler-Cooley, lead meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Portland.
- It'll start as a mix of snow, sleet and freezing rain, then transition into just freezing rain by Thursday afternoon or evening.
- The freezing rain will keep falling into Friday, with a small chance — around 10% — that it continues through the weekend.
How it works: Freezing rain happens when precipitation falls as snow or ice but passes through a layer of warm air just before hitting the ground.
- It falls as rain but freezes immediately upon landing, leaving everything it touches coated in ice.
Flashback: When an intense ice storm enveloped the region last year, countless trees were toppled, thousands lost power for days and at least 15 people died.
Threat level: This storm doesn't appear to have the strength of last year's storm, Chandler-Cooley said.
- Ice accumulations in Portland are expected to be about a tenth of an inch, much less than the quarter-inch to 1-inch accumulations we saw last year.
- Winds are also expected to be much calmer than they were last January, leading to fewer downed trees.
- Still, Chandler-Cooley said, the timing of the ice means those with commutes should be extra careful on Thursday evening and Friday morning.