Poking Badgers With Spoons

Okay - so all the schools around me are closed. The snow has started falling again here on and off. There's still ice on the road. Good thing I took my work laptop home. I'm officially "working from home". I'm watching my work e-mail closely and have my work cell phone in case I need to get hold of people. I'm so not feeling like sliding around to get to work, and I'm glad I don't have to.

Everyone who doesn't have that choice, please be as safe as possible.

URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PORTLAND OR
309 PM PST TUE DEC 16 2008

...WINTER WEATHER WILL RETURN EARLY WEDNESDAY MORNING THROUGH THURSDAY TO SOUTHWEST WASHINGTON AND NORTHWEST OREGON...

.A FRONTAL SYSTEM WILL DROP DOWN FROM THE NORTH BRINGING A MIX OF WINTER WEATHER HAZARDS TO THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST. PRECIPITATION MAINLY IN THE FORM OF SNOW WILL BEGIN SPREADING OVER SOUTHWEST WASHINGTON AND NORTHWEST OREGON EARLY WEDNESDAY MORNING AND THEN INTENSIFY AS IT CONTINUES SOUTH THROUGH THE DAY. WITH THE SURFACE LOW REMAINING TO OUR NORTH...A SOUTHERLY WIND FLOW WILL DEVELOP WEDNESDAY THAT WILL LIKELY CHANGE THE LOW LEVEL SNOW TO RAIN...FREEZING RAIN...OR A MIX AT BOTH THE COAST AND IN THE SOUTHERN AND CENTRAL WILLAMETTE VALLEY. FREEZING RAIN IS POSSIBLE BRIEFLY DURING THE TRANSITION...AS WELL AS IN ANY SHELTERED AND PROTECTED VALLEYS IN THE COAST RANGE. COLDER AIR BEHIND THIS SYSTEM WILL LIKELY AGAIN DROP SNOW LEVELS TO NEAR SEA LEVEL WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND THURSDAY. THE SNOW WILL DECREASE THURSDAY NIGHT AS THE SYSTEM MOVES OFF TO THE SOUTH AND EAST.

ORZ005-006-WAZ022-039-171400-
/O.UPG.KPQR.WS.A.0012.081217T1200Z-081217T2300Z/
/O.NEW.KPQR.WS.W.0009.081217T1400Z-081218T1800Z/
LOWER COLUMBIA-GREATER PORTLAND METRO AREA-I- 5 CORRIDOR IN COWLITZ COUNTY-GREATER VANCOUVER AREA- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...ST. HELENS...CLATSKANIE...HILLSBORO... PORTLAND...OREGON CITY...GRESHAM...LONGVIEW...KELSO... CASTLE ROCK...VANCOUVER...BATTLE GROUND...WASHOUGAL
309 PM PST TUE DEC 16 2008

...WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 6 AM WEDNESDAY TO 10 AM PST THURSDAY FOR THE INTERSTATE 5 CORRIDOR OF SOUTHWEST WASHINGTON AND THE GREATER PORTLAND AND VANCOUVER AREAS...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN PORTLAND HAS ISSUED A WINTER STORM WARNING FOR SNOW AND BRIEF FREEZING RAIN...WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM 6 AM WEDNESDAY TO 10 AM PST THURSDAY. THE WINTER STORM WATCH FOR SNOW AND FREEZING RAIN IS NO LONGER IN EFFECT.

A FRONTAL SYSTEM DROPPING DOWN FROM THE NORTH WILL BRING LIGHT SNOW TO THE AREA BEGINNING AROUND 6 AM WEDNESDAY MORNING. SNOW WILL INCREASE IN INTENSITY THROUGH THE DAY WITH 2 TO 4 INCHES BY MID AFTERNOON. HIGHER ACCUMULATIONS OF 3 TO 6 INCHES WILL OCCUR IN THE WASHINGTON INTERIOR LOW LANDS. SNOW MAY BRIEFLY MIX WITH RAIN OR FREEZING RAIN IN THE AFTERNOON IN SOUTHERN AREAS BUT WILL SWITCH BACK TO ALL SNOW WEDNESDAY NIGHT. AN ADDITIONAL 2 TO 4 INCHES IS POSSIBLE WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH MIDDAY THURSDAY BUT WILL BE SPOTTIER AS THE SNOW WILL BE MORE SHOWERY IN NATURE. SNOW SHOWERS WILL TAPER OFF THURSDAY AFTERNOON AND NIGHT.

A WINTER STORM WARNING FOR HEAVY SNOW MEANS SEVERE WINTER WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED OR OCCURRING. SIGNIFICANT AMOUNTS OF SNOW ARE FORECAST THAT WILL MAKE TRAVEL DANGEROUS. ONLY TRAVEL IN AN EMERGENCY. IF YOU MUST TRAVEL...KEEP AN EXTRA FLASHLIGHT... FOOD...AND WATER IN YOUR VEHICLE IN CASE OF AN EMERGENCY.