Storms are coming this weekend, but will they bring real snow, the kind that piles up and lends itself to sledding and snowmen and child wonderment? 

Last night's first flurry of the season went out with a whimper for most Portland neighborhoods, and this week, “downtown won’t wind up with much more than slush on the windshield,” says Clinton Rockey, forecaster at the National Weather Service’s Portland office. But metro dwellers shouldn't give up hope.

This weekend, cold air from the east might mean two to six inches of snow accumulating between Saturday night and Sunday morning. Early next week, forecasted temperatures in the high teens could help it stick around: forecasts place the temperature below freezing from late Friday until Wednesday. 

Or the forecast could shift, and we could get that near-freezing, decidedly-not-snow precipitation that the Pacific Northwest is known for. “The whole gambit of opportunities are there,” Rockey says, depending what model you look at. “The fun thing is trying to figure out what’s gonna happen.” What a sunny opinion. 

Snow in the Cascades is a sure thing. A rare blizzard warning has been in effect there for both Tuesday and Wednesday, meaning near-zero visibility thanks to uncharacteristically dry, buoyant snowflakes joining forces with high winds. Don’t travel, if you can help it. If you must, bring chains, fresh water, extra blankets and—this part is crucial—a full tank of gas. “By the time snow showers decrease Wednesday, elevations of 3,000 feet and above will likely be measuring their snow in feet, rather than inches,” says the National Weather Service advisory. 

What can lowlanders expect for the rest of the season? More uncertainty, of course. Even in an El Niño year. "You can still have some snow,” Rockey says. “It’s just that the odds are not in your favor.”