People in the Portland metro area may be seeing some snowflakes in next week's forecast in their mobile phone weather apps, but the National Weather Service in Portland said it’s too soon to know whether the region will get a white Thanksgiving.
“From a meteorologist’s perspective, there’s a lot that we don’t know about what’s coming up next week,” said Jon Bonk with the National Weather Service in Portland. “The details are really going to make all the difference in whether we see snow or no snow and really how cold it gets.”
He said there are too many variables between now and next week to confirm snow in the forecast.
“The weather apps that people have on their phones — it’s generally going to be an automated forecast that comes from one particular computer model and so it’s not necessarily going to take into account a lot of the uncertainty and a lot of the different possibilities that are out there,” Bonk said.
Still, Bonk said this is a reminder for holiday travelers to make sure they’re prepared for inclement weather. He recommends people have a winter kit in their car, including snow chains for their tires.
“Even if you leave for your destination on Tuesday or Wednesday of next week, there’s a lot that can change in the forecast by the time you come home that following Sunday,” he said.
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