Watching the Forecast as a Potentially Windy Wednesday Takes Shape

KATU has issued a Storm Tracker 2 Weather Alert for severe winds in the Willamette Valley and Portland metro area on Wednesday morning.

While the Portland metro region will not enjoy a white Christmas, the weather outlook this week appears to be quite tough, and power companies are bracing for a potentially stormy Christmas Eve.

On Wednesday morning, a severe low-pressure system is expected to travel along the Oregon coast, bringing heavy winds and rain.

Some forecast models now indicate that such high winds may make their way into the Willamette Valley, reaching Portland by early afternoon.

With the ground already saturated, high gusts could blow down trees and cause power outages.

“Models are showing briefly windy conditions,” Storm Tracker 2 Meteorologist Rhonda Shelby stated. “For three or four hours, we could have wind gusts that knock out power.”

With wind gusts potentially reaching 45 to 65 mph, Portland General Electric is advising customers to prepare for potential power interruptions.

NWS Portland has just stated on X that they predict wind gusts of 30 to 45 mph.

While there is a big variation from what PGE says, the reasoning is straightforward. This event’s confidence level remains low.

As previously said, some models predict a windstorm, while others predict weak or no winds.

Meteorologists examine each model run, which typically comes out every six hours, resulting in a highly dynamic forecast.

The next cold front will arrive Monday evening, bringing persistent rain and breezy conditions. Tuesday is generally dry, with another bout of showers arriving late in the day.

On Wednesday, with the possibility of wind, all eyes will be focused.

If you discover a downed electricity line, do not touch it or anything it is touching, and call 911 right away before reporting it to the utility provider.

You should always assume the line is live, even if it isn’t sparking or sizzling, and keep it at least 50 feet away.

Here are some items to include in an outage kit to prepare in case the power goes out: