By Rod Hill on 2014-12-30
Strong east winds will transport dry and very cold air into the Willamette Valley Monday night. East winds will likely blow into the day Thursday. Strongest winds will occur Tuesday. Much of the Portland metro will see gusts between 35-45 mph, while areas east of I-205 could see 55 mph wind gusts! Strong winds in the Columbia River Gorge will gusts to 55 mph at low elevations. Crown Point gusts to 75 mph are expected Tuesday night, Wednesday & Thursday. A Wind Advisory for the Portland metro region has been issued through 6:00 pm Tuesday. High winds may cause downed trees and power outages. Here is a link to the NWS Wind Chill page:
http://www.nws.noaa.gov/om/winter/windchill.shtml
Valley wind chills or the "feels like" temperature will be near 5 degrees Monday night when the air temperature hits 25 degrees and gusts reach 45 mph. During the day Tuesday, the wind chill factor will be 12 degrees with an air temperature of 30 and gusty winds to 45 mph. Metro low temps Tuesday morning will fall into the upper teens in calmer wind areas, while daytime highs may not reach freezing in spots. This will be the coldest air of the season to date. Returning moisture Friday or Saturday could begin as an icy mix. Please keep updated this week as the Northwest deals with extreme cold.
Other headlines across the state include a Wind Chill Warning tonight and Tuesday morning for the Cascades above 3,000 feet. Blowing wind will make the air feel like 15 to 25 degrees below zero. Outdoor exposure should be avoided as frostbite will quickly take hold of unprotected skin.
Meteorologist Rod Hill
Mt. Hood Snowpack at Record Low for Mid-December