Strong winds knocked out power to a large portion of the northern Oregon coast and in the Cascades and foothills early Wednesday closing schools and roads across the region.
Wind gusts of 35-55 mph in the lowlands and around 65 mph along the coast were short-lived, according to the National Weather Service, but the impacts left thousands without power and will create driving issues for those moving through the hardest hit areas.
Powerlines were down on several major highways, according to the Oregon Department of Transportation. As of 5:30 a.m. U.S. 26 from Welches to Timberline Road reported downed lines, U.S. 20 from Sweet Home to the Cascades is closed, U.S. 22 from Gates to milepost 49 near the Detroit Ranger Station is closed, and Oregon 126 (McKenzie Highway) from Vida to milepost 44 was closed. As the morning goes on there may be more closures.
Many schools have closed or will start later due to power issues or downed lines or trees. Check this list for details: oregonlive.com/weather/school-closings.
Portland is looking at a wet Wednesday with rain and possible thunderstorms before about 2 p.m. Showers are likely during the afternoon. The high temp will reach near 50 degrees.
Snow levels will drop at some point Wednesday to about 2,500 feet. Snow is likely across the Cascade passes and drivers should use caution. TripCheck may be no help as power is out along many of the pass level roads. Current models show a good chance of 4-7 inches of new snow in the mountains, according to the weather service.
And the worst is still yet to come. A strong atmospheric river heads into the region starting Thursday morning. Rain will be heavy at times and winds will be gusting to 35 mph.
Current forecasts favor the heaviest rain beginning along the central Oregon coast and Coast Range north of Linn County and then heading inland south of Marion County. Rain total estimates during the 48 hours beginning Thursday morning and ending early Saturday range from 4 inches along the coast to nearly 5 inches in the Coast Range. Valley locations should see 1-2 inches with some areas being harder hit depending on where the plume of moisture sets up.
Portland is likely to see 1-2 inches of new rain Thursday and strong winds at times. The high temp will reach about 57 degrees. Urban area should expect ponding on area roadways and freeways, and flooding in low-lying areas and areas that are prone to flood, such as Johnson Creek.
Behind Thursday and Friday’s rain, area rivers may flood as all this water drains. The rivers with the highest chances of reaching flood stage include the Wilson, Trask, Siletz, and Siuslaw draining toward the coast, and the Marys, Luckiamute, Yamhill, and Tualatin draining toward the Willamette. The chances of these rivers to reach at least minor flood stage are currently at 30-70%.
Rain should transition to showers at some point Friday as Portland sees another wet day. The high will cool to about 49 degrees.
The Cascades have a 50-70% chance of advisory level snow (6-12 inches) on the passes Friday.
Extended forecasts show a return to more “normal” late fall rain over the weekend. The continued concern will be breezy winds and rising rivers. Many rivers will be at flood stage by Saturday. Daytime high temps over the weekend will stay in the high 40s, and mountain snow will continue.
