After 17 January days of no measurable rain and sunny skies nearly every, the final days of the month turn toward more traditional winter weather and bring clouds and rain to the Portland/Vancouver area and heavy snow in the mountains.

The NWS forecasts sustained winds of 25 to 35 mph, with gusts reaching up to 50 mph. These conditions could result in unsecured objects being blown around, tree limbs falling, and scattered power outages across the affected area.

Cold weather advisory: Be Aware. A cold weather advisory is issued when seasonably cold air temperatures or wind chill values, but not extremely cold values, are expected or occurring. Be sure you and your loved ones dress appropriately and cover exposed skin when venturing outdoors.

Heavy snow and high winds are forecast to impact travel on Oregon’s Cascade Mountain roads and passes from Thursday night into Saturday afternoon.

The long stretch of sunny and dry weather comes to an end on Thursday as clouds increase and Portland prepares for rain and potential snow.

The National Weather Service issued a cold weather advisory through 10 a.m. Sunday for the Portland metro area.

The record of consecutive days rain-free or a trace in January is 17 days, occurring in 1948. If you take out trace amounts, the successive days drop to 13 in 1985. If no rain falls by Thursday, Portland will break the record. The forecast doesn’t call for rain until at least January 31.

Rain and snow is returning to Oregon this weekend, and low elevation snow and ice will become possible next week.

The National Weather Service has simplified some of its winter weather alerts for Wind Chill and Extreme Cold Warnings.

Portland’s air quality is currently comparable to Los Angeles, despite the ongoing wildfires in Southern California.

Forecasters expect snow to accumulate Sunday afternoon into the evening. The Portland area could see anywhere from 4-8 inches, said Hunter Tubbs, a National Weather Service meteorologist based in Gray.

The chances of snow are getting better and better for Portland. Sure, we started with a very small chance. Last week, Jon Liu, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Portland, said of the coming Wednesday,