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.

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.

High pressure is keeping weather over the Portland metro area dry and clear with cold overnight temperatures. The cold weather advisory issued overnight and into Sunday morning has lifted, but chilly temperatures are forecast to return tonight to parts of the southern Oregon coast.

The sky may be clear in Portland, but the temperatures remain low, leading the National Weather Service to issue another cold weather advisory Wednesday afternoon. The “cold weather advisory” is a new type of advisory for the National Weather Service,

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.

The Northwest has seen very little precipitation over the last two weeks. If Portland doesn’t see any rain by Thursday, it will set a new dry streak record for the month. The record for the most consecutive dry days in January -- recorded in 1948 -- is 17.

Cold Weather Advisories have been put into place across the Pacific Northwest this week, but many might be unaware of the new cold weather terms.

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.

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

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