Winter makes an early entrance as snow dusts parts of valley.

Byline: Ben Fuchs The Register-Guard

Get ready, 'cause here comes Old Man Winter.

Oregon residents received the first taste of wintry weather Sunday as a storm dumped the first significant snowfall of the year in the Cascades and doused the Willamette Valley with frigid rain and even snow flurries. Cities as far south as Salem saw snow in the air, though nothing more than a trace of the white stuff was recorded. Hillsboro, McMinnville and Scappoose also reported snow flurries throughout the day, according to National Weather Service meteorologist Jack Bohl.

Up the McKenzie River Valley, residents of Vida and Blue River also reported snow showers.

Eugene had no snow but recorded 0.71 of an inch of rain in the 24 hours ending at 4 p.m., making it the wettest spot in the state. The earliest snowfall recorded in Eugene was Oct. 27, 1971.

Saturday marked the first day that studded snow tires could be used on vehicles traveling Oregon roads. And it was just in the nick of time. The higher reaches of the Cascades could see up to 8 inches of snow by today, Bohl said.

Towns along the coast saw steady rain Sunday, although temperatures were closer to normal than in the valley.

Clearer, drier weather with warmer temperatures is expected by midweek, National Weather Service meteorologist Wanda Likens said. A large high pressure system over the Pacific Ocean sent the storm, which originated in the Gulf of Alaska, to the Pacific Northwest, Likens said. "We're seeing some systems coming through ... a little earlier than normal," she said.

Bohl said Eugene has a 20 percent chance of showers today, with high temperatures expected in the 40s.