PORTLAND Ore. (KPTV) – The day started with plenty of sunshine, pushing temperatures into the low 80s for some spots in the Portland metro area. The Portland airport got to 82 degrees. Vancouver and Kelso also hit the low 80s. Even warmer than Tuesday!

All of these areas set new all-time warm March records Wednesday afternoon. That means the atmosphere was primed for storms- the energy was there!

Warm March Days(KPTV)

Now… Let’s talk about what happened this afternoon!

We had all the ingredients available for some severe storms this afternoon, but a mixture of cool, marine air, fast-moving moisture and insufficient use of energy kept all the “fun” in Washington.

Camila and I have decided to END THE FIRST ALERT WEATHER DAY tonight as our threat for severe-warned storms has dropped significantly.

There still may be some brief heavy rain, gusty winds, pea-sized hail or lightning/thunder until around 9 p.m. tonight, but we don’t expect any severe thunderstorms (60+ mph wind and/or quarter-sized hail).

Storm Summary(KPTV)

So what went “wrong” for severe storm formation? Available thunderstorm energy tanked as clouds and cooler marine air started leaking in as the showers pushed through. That quickly stabilized the atmosphere, killing the rapid uplift needed for powerful storms.

THURSDAY

Thursday we will turn cool and wet, and we’ll remain that way through the rest of the work week. Expect breezy conditions at times, especially along the coast and in the central valley. Highs also will cool down back into the 50s.

7 day(KPTV)

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