Portland sees steady rain Wednesday morning, tapering to showers by afternoon

Steady rain, hitting the Oregon coastline early Wednesday morning, should move into the Willamette Valley during morning rush hour and continue into early afternoon, according to the National Weather Service.

As of 5:30 a.m. Wednesday rain was falling in Washington County, but Oregon City and Wilsonville looked dry on traffic cameras. The entire Portland/Vancouver area will get a soaking Wednesday as the latest front moves in from the west and heads toward the Cascades.

The weather service says rain rates will lower by the afternoon turning to showers from west to east. The high will reach about 63 degrees.

Showers are likely Thursday, and so is another dip in daytime high temps. Thursday will be the coldest day of the week with a high of around 59 degrees. Thunderstorms are also possible in the afternoon. Rainfall rates will vary with most locations seeing about a quarter of an inch. Areas under thunderstorms could see more.

Thursday also brings the first winter weather advisory of the season to the central and southern Cascade mountains. The weather service's posted advisory is from 4 a.m.-6 p.m. Thursday warning of as much as 6 inches of accumulating snow above 4,000 feet.

The main pass roads, including Santiam and Willamette passes, could have sticking snow on the roadway. Driving may be hazardous at times.

Friday will offer partly sunny skies with low rain chances in Portland. The high will reach about 60 degrees. There will still be a 20-40% chance of rain along a line north of Hood River to Tillamook, according to the weather service.

Extended forecasts show a mixed weather weekend with slight chance of rain Saturday, and certain chances on Sunday. The high on Saturday will warm to about 66 degrees. Sunday looks cooler at 63.