How about that wind Thursday?  What’s amazing is there wasn’t a storm close enough to bring us any precipitation.  All that wind was caused by the difference in pressure between an area of high  pressure and low pressure.  Nature doesn’t like imbalances and therefore wind is her way of putting things closer to even.  As the storm in Canada moved away the wind relaxed.

On Friday, an arctic front passed the area, ushering in even colder air for Saturday.  Saturday will likely end up one of the coldest days of the prior three months when you look at it in terms of high temperatures during that time.   There have been four days this winter when the temperature failed to reach 20 degrees.  One of those came in December, one in January and two last month.    Saturday’s predicted high in Portland is 19 degrees, this would be the fifth such sub-20-degree day all winter.

Winds will also be brisk on Saturday, adding to the wind chill.  At times it will feel near zero on exposed skin.  However, if you are dressed properly, you can still get outside for that run or walk.

Temperatures will fall even further Saturday night and Sunday as winds drop and skies remain clear.   Temperatures by morning will range from 5 to 12 degrees again – one of the colder mornings of the entire winter.

Sunday with less wind and strong March sunshine readings should reach just above freezing by 1 p.m.  It will not reach freezing in the mountains where snowmaking is likely to be going full blast at some ski areas. This will feel a lot better and be much more tolerable in spite of the lower than average readings.  Much milder air arrives Monday with highs in the 30s and by Tuesday we’ll have climbed far above normal, reaching the upper 40s with a few rain showers.

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