With the Three Sisters and Broken Top in the distance, two people walk up to the West Village Lodge under sunny skies and low snow pack conditions at Mt. Bachelor ski area on Tuesday.(Andy Tullis/Bulletin photo)

Coming storms could cause problems for Thanksgiving travelers, even as they stand to benefit Central Oregon skiers.

Beginning late on Wednesday night, several storms are expected to sweep across the Cascade Mountains, dropping up to a 1½ feet of snow on high-elevation mountain passes between Thursday and Saturday.

While the storms could cause problems for drivers traveling to and from the Willamette Valley during a hectic weekend, they may also bring up to 2 feet of snow to Mt. Bachelor ski area. Drew Jackson, director of marketing and communications for Mt. Bachelor, said this would be enough to help the ski area, which currently has no snow, open one of its chairlifts for the holiday weekend.

“It’s a bit of a leap of faith,” Jackson said.

Dave Elson, forecaster with the National Weather Service’s Portland office, said the first band of precipitation will begin moving into Oregon on Wednesday, though it will mostly fall as rain below 5,500 feet in elevation.

Elson had encouraging words for people driving to Western Oregon during one of the busiest travel days of the year: “Wednesday night, I don’t think there’s going to be any issues.”

By Thursday, Elson expects the snow levels to drop to around 4,500 feet. This would bring snow to high-elevation stretches of U.S. Highway 26 and state Highway 22, Elson said.

He estimated that 6 to 12 inches could fall in Oregon’s central Cascades, though variable snow levels may affect accumulations in the passes.

Another front moving across Oregon from west to east figures to bring another 6 inches of snow to the region, Elson said.

Jackson said he’s optimistic these storms could be enough to help Mt. Bachelor open its Sunshine Accelerator chairlift and a few other facilities by Saturday, though the operators likely won’t know for sure until Friday if the lift can open.

Currently, the ski area has no snow accumulation at its base or at midmountain, which Jackson said is relatively uncommon this late in November.

“Each day that goes by, it gets a bit more unusual,” Jackson said.

Ski operators don’t look for a specific snow total when opening facilities, provided there’s enough snow to build loading and unloading areas by the lift and ensure that there’s a base of snow throughout the entire ski run, Jackson said.

Mt. Bachelor can make its own snow. Jackson said that requires relatively low wind and temperatures below 28 degrees.

Whether or not the chairlift opens on Saturday, Gravity Sports Shop at West Village Lodge will be open both days, and food and beverage services will be offered in the West Village Lodge for visitors who want to play in the snow, Jackson said.

“If folks on their Thanksgiving weekend want to come up and make snowmen, they’ll be able to,” Jackson said.

Bend might also see a few flurries, particularly on Friday, according to Rob Brooks, forecaster with the weather service’s office in Pendleton. Accumulations likely won’t exceed 1 inch in town, he said.

The Oregon Department of Transportation is preparing for winter conditions in high-elevation areas near Bend, including U.S. Highway 97 near Lava Butte and the Cascade Lakes Highway between Bend and Mount Bachelor, spokesman Peter Murphy said. He urged drivers traveling over Thanksgiving weekend to be patient when driving on snowy roads and to make sure they have essentials like chains and traction tires before the holiday rolls around.

“It’s important that people gear up now,” Murphy said. “We have a little window of opportunity here.”

—Reporter: 541-617-7818, shamway@bendbulletin.com