However, you should take amateur predictions with a grain of salt
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – YouTube weather whiz Frankie MacDonald took to his channel to warn Portland that a “major winter storm” could be coming to the city on Thursday.
MacDonald, an amateur meteorologist from Nova Scotia with more than 304,000 subscribers, has grown a cult following online — as seen on the Portland subreddit — for his enthusiastic weather forecasts under the handle @dogsandwolves.
In January 2024, an “arctic blast” blanketed the greater Portland metro area in a sheet of ice that took days to melt. Ahead of the storm, MacDonald predicted that the region could see “a lot of snow” with “dangerous and treacherous driving conditions,” and his forecast turned out to be shockingly accurate.
His forecast was posted on Friday, Jan. 12, 2024, and by the end of the weekend, snow and freezing rain covered Multnomah County in nearly 2 inches of ice that led to downed power lines, mass outages, and several hypothermia deaths.
Now MacDonald has another prediction for Portland, this time for the city’s first winter storm of 2025. According to a video posted on Feb. 11, residents in the region can expect a “major winter storm” on Thursday.
“People in Portland, Oregon, be safe. Have your winter boots, winter jackets, hats, gloves, scarves and ski pants ready and order your pizzas and Chinese food,” MacDonald said in the video. “Buy cases of Pepsi and Coke. Do your grocery shopping. Don’t wait until the last minute; do it right now.”
Meanwhile, KOIN 6 meteorologists have forecasted that temperatures in the Portland area will struggle to warm up as the region faces snow and freezing rain, though it’s not clear when the precipitation will begin, nor how many inches the region can expect.
As for MacDonald’s prediction, Meteorologist Steve Pierce says it’s best to take amateur forecasts with a grain of salt.
“Although amateur social media forecasts can be entertaining, folks should always get their forecasts from trusted experts,” Pierce said. “The KOIN 6 weather team has been on top of this developing storm and has the latest updates from trusted model data, which is interpreted by the area’s most accurate weather team.”
However, Meteorologist Kelley Bayern said MacDonald did make some solid recommendations.
“Frankie does highlight some great points about staying safe and being ready for your commute to and from work with snow and ice in the forecast,” Bayern said. “I love seeing people, especially Frankie, so enthusiastic about the Portland area forecast! He is such a delight and entertaining character.”
