Portland is under a wind advisory through 4 a.m. Friday. East winds blowing through the Gorge will bring sustained winds in the 20-30 mph range, and gusts from 40-50 mph though Friday morning. As you get closer to the Gorge, winds will increase up to 55 mph. As of 5:30 a.m. Wednesday Corbett had already recorded gusts in the 45 mph range.  

National Weather Service forecasters have seen temperature drop rapidly overnight in southern Washington and northern Oregon and east of the Cascades.

Cold high pressure is moving into the area and with it we'll see near freezing temperatures most of the day Wednesday and highs only reaching the mid 30s.

This sets the stage for winter precipitation as a moist warm front moves south to north on Thursday. Models show light snow and then possibly freezing rain beginning earlier in the day Thursday for areas south of Piabet Salem, then by Thursday afternoon north of Salem and into Portland.

The original front moves off Thursday afternoon and another colder front with more moisture moves in Thursday night and into Friday.  Expect Portland to only reach 34 degrees on Thursday; 31 for the high on Friday.  

Forecasters expect to see 1-2 inches of snow and/or .10-.25 inch of ice from Thursday afternoon into Friday.  The Gorge and upper Hood River Valley could see 4-8 inches of snow and around a half of an inch of ice before this event moves off on Saturday morning.  

The good news, so far, is that temperatures are expected to quickly warm up by Saturday with highs in the mid 40s. Whatever hits and sticks to the ground in Portland through the end of the workweek should melt away quickly by Saturday.

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