PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — High winds and heavy rain will be the theme of a stormy Friday the 13th in the Pacific Northwest.
Although we’re seeing blustery weather this morning, it is no match for the Friday the 13th wind storm of 1981 that brought damaging winds to the Willamette Valley — with top wind speeds of 71 mph for Portland.
We’re not expecting winds that strong in the valley, but we could achieve nearly equivalent wind gusts at the beach and the headlands.
With wind advisories in place, gusts at the coast this morning may exceed 60 – 65 mph. Portland and the north end of the Willamette Valley will experience southerly gusts but should stay in the range of 45-50 mph for peak wind speeds. Wind gusts may exceed 50 mph near Salem and Eugene.
By 4:30 a.m. on Friday, wind gusts were up to 35 mph around the valley. Out at the coast, gusts were already creeping toward 60 mph.
Power outages, broken trees limbs, and fallen trees are all potential outcomes from this morning’s storm.
As of 6:30 a.m., Portland General Electric reported over 3,500 customers are affected by power outages in Multnomah County, with a few more thousand affected in surrounding counties. Down in Marion County, over 1,400 customers were affected.
With heavy rain pouring throughout the early morning, standing water began to accumulate on roads. Drivers should take caution while commuting.
There is a High Wind Warning in effect for the entire Oregon coastline. Peak wind gust timing for the coast will be from about midnight until 6 a.m. with gusts up to 50-60 mph but expect it to drop to around 30 mph for the late morning.
A Wind Advisory in effect for the Willamette Valley until 7 a.m. Gusts 40 to 50 mph are possible higher to the south of PDX.
Models pointing to the heaviest rainfall in the morning hours. Up to 1″ of rain for Salem before noon. Luckily rivers are low right now, but watch those burn areas! There is a chance for thunderstorms today too.
Temperatures rise this morning before dropping again midday/afternoon — after the cold front passes. It will be very windy, like driving in a snow globe. Out in the mountains, there will be feet of snow with best accumulations happening late morning afternoon through Saturday morning.
Mountain Snow Freezing Levels:
Today: 3,500′ rising to 4,500′ back down to 3,000′ by late night
Sat: 3,000′ rising to 5,500′ by late night
Sunday: 5,500′ up to 7,500′ by late night
