Winter - It's Officially Here

With temperatures expected to drop down into the teens, this is quite a cold snap. Portland is currently colder than other U.S. cities known for frigid temps like Chicago, New York and Washington DC. Here are some articles from local news web sites:

Bitter Cold Grips Pacific Northwest

PORTLAND, Ore. -- Bitterly cold temperatures gripped the Pacific Northwest on Sunday as an arctic blast brought in the coldest weather of the year.

In addition to the cold temperatures, unusually strong wind caused problems for many people Sunday. Truckers navigating the Columbia River Gorge were forced to use caution."It's the side winds (that make) this thing take off like a sail," said truck driver Marco Taylor. "It's scary with all the cars around you. You could easily get blown into one."

Wind caused a tree to crash into a home Sunday on East Country Club Loop in Brightwood. No one was inside the cabin when the fir tree hit the home, but neighbors said they barely escaped the destruction."I was standing in the kitchen, and I saw it coming toward me -- I called for my husband," said Michelle Melbourne. "It was scary."

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Portland Prepares For Arctic Blast

PORTLAND, Ore. — Icy winds are blowing through Northwestern Oregon and Southwestern Washington, adding wind chill issues to the already-cold conditions gripping the region.

Monday afternoon's high temperatures managed to reach just about the freezing level. Some places were slightly above, some never made it to 32 degrees, but the differences were slight - expecially if you were outside, with skin exposed to the icy, blustery winds. Those winds should die down overnight, but temperatures will be colder - dipping down into the teens during the dark of early morning. Tuesday afternoon will be similar to Monday afternoon, but Tuesday night's lows could reach down into single digits.

Present conditions and forecasts from
The Weather Channel