An Oregon Department of Transportation snowplow clears snow Friday, Dec. 10, 2021, along the Old Oregon Trail Road near Meacham. The National Weather Service is forecasting snowfall across the region, with higher elevations in the Blue Mountains getting as much as 10 inches.

PENDLETON — Eastern Oregon is set to get some snow this week, but how much each community gets depends on the elevation.

The National Weather Service is forecasting wet conditions throughout the week, but as temperatures begin to drop, the agency anticipates some snowfall across the region.

Matt Callihan, a forecaster at the service’s Pendleton office, said communities in the lower Columbia Basin likely won’t get cold enough to see a significant amount of snow. But cities near the foothills of the Blue Mountains, including Pendleton and Milton-Freewater, could see up to a half-inch of snow.

“It’s going to be very minimal,” Callihan said.

The higher the elevation, the more snow predicted in the service’s forecast. Callihan said higher elevations in the Blues could see as much as 10 inches of snow. While most communities in Umatilla and Morrow counties shouldn’t see too much snow come there way, Callihan said locals may want to proceed with caution when traveling east as heavier snow combined with strong winds could make conditions hazardous.

Earlier this year, the weather service reported there was a good chance this year could see a La Nina, an atmospheric phenomenon in the Pacific Ocean that usually portends wet weather in the Northwest. Callihan said winter conditions have been slow to develop in the region this year, but signs still point to La Nina conditions this year, meaning January could bring more snow to Eastern Oregon.

Meanwhile, the snowy conditions in the Blue Mountains aren’t waiting until January to wreak havoc on roads. On Sunday, Dec. 5, the Oregon Department of Transportation closed Interstate 84 east of Pendleton after some semitrailers spun out on the highway.

“Winter is here and more mountain snow is expected this week,” an ODOT press release stated after the department reopened the highway.

Before heading out, check highway conditions at TripCheck.com or call 511 or 800-977-6368.