Winter Storm WARNING ALL OF WEST COAST

Expect outages and rotating tower in Portland locked NW during the weekend.

Winter Storm Warning URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PORTLAND OR 317 PM PST FRI JAN 6 2017

…WINTER STORM WILL BRING SIGNIFICANT IMPACTS ACROSS MUCH OF NORTHWEST OREGON AND SOUTHWEST WASHINGTON THIS WEEKEND…

.COLD AIR WILL LINGER INTO THIS WEEKEND ACROSS MUCH OF SOUTHWEST WASHINGTON AND NORTHWEST OREGON AS A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM APPROACHES FROM THE PACIFIC. THIS SYSTEM WILL PUSH SEVERAL BANDS OF PRECIPITATION SOUTHWEST TO NORTHEAST ACROSS THE REGION BEGINNING SATURDAY MORNING. TEMPERATURES WILL START OFF BELOW FREEZING FOR MOST OF THE AREA AS PRECIPITATION BEGINS…RESULTING IN A TRANSITION FROM SNOW OR SLEET…TO FREEZING RAIN…TO PLAIN RAIN AS TEMPERATURES SLOWLY RISE ABOVE FREEZING. THIS TRANSITION WILL OCCUR MOST QUICKLY IN LANE COUNTY…AND THE SLOWEST IN AND NEAR THE COLUMBIA GORGE. THE RESULT WILL BE A VARIETY OF WINTER WEATHER IMPACTS RANGING FROM HEAVY SNOW IN THE GORGE TO A POTENTIAL ICE STORM FOR PORTIONS OF THE WILLAMETTE VALLEY AND NEARBY HILLS.