By Gordon McCraw, Meteorologist for the Tillamook County Pioneer
Monday, April 3, 2023
Well, here we are into April, and we are still talking about snow. What a winter! This morning we had showers, and with temperatures down to 32-34 along the coast, low level flurries with lower level accumulating snow, and there were heavy snow periods across the summit.
The trigger for the showers and cooler air is a trough of low pressure that is moving across the area so the activity, including the showers, some with small hail, and the slight thunderstorm threat, continues this evening. We do lose the thunderstorms early tonight with the lose of daytime heating. Winds tonight northerly 8-12 gusting to 20, the low again down near 34 so snow in the Coast Range and lower flurries are again possible in the early morning hours.
The trough slides east tomorrow but continues to trigger the showers, small hail, and slight thunderstorm threat, and the snow level lifts to 1500’, so more snow is possible up near the top of the higher passes. Winds tomorrow westerly 4-8, highs near 49. The activity starts to become more widely scattered tomorrow night as the trough moves further east, winds westerly 4-8, lows near 33.
Wednesday we see the rain return with a warm front approaching the area which brings southeasterly winds 5-10. The good news for travelers is this will push the snow level up to near 3000’ and starts to warm things up to more seasonable temperatures, the high near 48, then rainy and breezy Wednesday night, lows near 40.
Thursday, in comes another front so continued rainy and breezy, highs near 52, and being a warmer system, the snow level continues to lift to near 5000’; the lows that night only falling to near 45.
Look for scattered showers Friday along with continued breezy conditions, the showers become more light in nature Saturday, highs near 56, lows near 46. Even fewer showers are likely on Sunday, still some mostly cloudy skies, the high temperature up near a springlike 61.