Oregon Public Broadcasting

The Portland-area has received over three inches of rain in the past couple of days.  It’s not going to dry out over the weekend, but weather forecasters say it shouldn’t be as wet as it has been.

Michael Goss is with the National Weather Service in Portland. 

He says the recent heavy rain and snow is due to a weather event known as a “Baro Climate Band.”   That’s a situation where the meeting of different temperatures in the atmosphere creates lots of moisture.

Michael Goss: “Cold air is denser than warm air.  And if you have cold air undercutting warm air, then you’re going to be lifting the warm air, so if you’re lifting warm, moist air over a colder air mass, then the lifting will cause condensation and you’ll get some clouds and rain out of that.”

Goss says that rain system was stalled over northwest Oregon for New Years Day but has since moved on.  Flood warnings remain in effect for many western Oregon rivers until Friday night.