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A look at Timberline Lodge as of 1:45 p.m. on Tuesday as snow levels were expected to drop to as low as 3,000 feet.

(Courtesy/KGW)

Some of the Cascade passes could pick up as much as half a foot of snow overnight as temperatures drop and Oregon gets its first real taste of winter after an unseasonably warm autumn.

Flurries had already begun to fall at Government Camp, which sits at about 4,400 feet, by noon and snow levels were expected to continue dropping throughout the afternoon and evening. The heaviest snowfall was expected overnight Tuesday and into Wednesday morning, said Colby Neuman, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.

By Wednesday night, the high passes could see between 3 and 7 inches of snow with some of the ski resorts, at 5,500 feet or above, getting close to 10 inches. Mt. Hood Meadows and Timberline Lodge had each recorded 2 inches at their bases by 1 p.m. Tuesday and about twice that at higher elevations.

"It's dumping right now," Dave Tragethon, a spokesman for Mt. Hood Meadows, said. "And that is good to see."

It's snowing in Government Camp! A bit earlier than drivers expected. pic.twitter.com/4hZj9w6sCA — Keely Chalmers (@KeelyChalmers) November 15, 2016

A winter weather advisory was expected to go into effect along most of the Cascade range around 4 p.m. Tuesday and last until Wednesday evening.

Despite the record-setting wet weather that's beset the Pacific Northwest this fall, the mild temperatures are setting some records of their own. Neuman said that the gauges at Portland International Airport have yet to record a temperature below 30 degrees, easily the latest in a year for that phenomenon since the weather service began keeping records 75 years ago.

Neuman said that particular record could fall Thursday night or early Friday morning, however, as temps are expected to dip to freezing or below at the airport. The last freeze seen at PDX was on Feb. 2, Neuman said, so 2016 also marks the longest period between freezes at the airport on record.

It remains to be seen if the snow in the mountains will stick, though, as Neuman said warmer weather could turn those flakes to raindrops over the weekend.

Tragethon was cautiously optimistic about when Mt. Hood Meadows would open to skiers and snowboarders. He said the resort was planning a series of "preview weekends" starting Saturday, depending on whether there was enough snow to build ramps to the lifts, and recommended those who are interested to check their website for details.

Timberline snow Rain has turned to snow at Timberline. The snow level tonight could drop to 3,000 feet, so a Winter Weather advisory takes effect at 4. More: on.kgw.com/snowlevels Posted by KGW-TV on Tuesday, November 15, 2016

-- Kale Williams

kwilliams@oregonian.com

503-294-4048