The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm watch for central and southern Willamette Valley from 10 p.m. Wednesday until 10 a.m. Friday.
The advisory reports that heavy mixed precipitation will be possible with total snow accumulations of up to 1 inch and possible ice accumulations of up to one quarter of an inch.
“Winter precipitation is expected to begin Wednesday night, starting in the south and pushing northward,” the NWS states. “Precipitation will initially begin as mixed freezing rain and snow Wednesday night, transitioning over primarily to freezing rain on Thursday. Significant ice accumulations will be possible, impacting the Thursday morning commute.”
Roads, and especially bridges and overpasses, will likely become slick and hazardous, the agency advised. In addition, significant ice accumulation on power lines and tree limbs may cause power outages.
The Philomath forecast for Wednesday shows sunny skies with a high of 42 and a few clouds appearing in the afternoon. In the evening, a low of 27 is expected with periods of snow in the late hours. Although the winter storm watch cites snow accumulations of up to 1 inch, the Philomath forecast shows the possibility of 1 to 3 inches.
Thursday’s forecast shows a high of 38 with snow ending during the morning and giving way to light rain in the afternoon. Thursday evening, rain is likely with a low of 33. Then on Friday, a high of 46 is expected with rain showers early during the day and then a low of 32 with cloudy skies at night.