Christmas Day thaw; good travel conditions in most of region today

PORTLAND Ore. (KPTV) –

Most of the region is waking up to mild conditions with areas of showers this Christmas Morning with no highway closures reported by ODOT or WADOT.

Some cool air remains trapped in the Columbia River Gorge, but temperatures even there will climb a few degrees above freezing today. Traffic cameras show a mainly bare highway this morning. The result should be relatively good travel along I-84 with just a few icy spots, mainly this morning. Our First Alert weather team forecasts freeway conditions bare and wet by midday. All Cascade passes remain snow-free through Monday night as warmer than normal weather remains over the rest of the region through Tuesday.

There is some concern for renewed freezing rain in the Columbia River Gorge and a Winter Storm Watch is up for that area. Temperatures will be near freezing tonight and Monday as rain passes over the leftover thin layer of cold air. Some freezing rain is possible, but mainly above river level in the Hood River, White Salmon, & Wind River valleys. Up to 1″ icing is possible in those areas that remain near/below freezing. Most likely I-84 will remain ice-free tonight and Monday.

Mountain snow returns Tuesday and beyond as a typical cooler & wet weather pattern returns.

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