Stormy Week for Northwest; Snow Flakes in Seattle, Portland
A potent storm system will plow into the Northwest today, beginning a stretch of wintry weather.
Ample Pacific moisture associated with a strong disturbance will push onshore today along the Oregon and Washington coast, bringing drenching rain to the immediate coastal plain.
Strong winds will also buffet the coast with gusts in excess of 50-mph tonight into tomorrow.
Farther inland, the moisture will clash with cold air, producing snow in the mountains. Snow levels are expected to be quite low across the region. In Washington, residents of Seattle could see some snowflakes although accumulation is not expected.
According to Western Weather Expert Ken Clark, "Snow levels will dip to around 500 feet in Washington and northern Oregon."
Very heavy snow will spread over the mountains of northern California and southern Oregon beginning tonight.
Over a foot of snow could blanket the highest elevations of the Cascades and Sierra Nevada. Lesser amounts are expected in lower elevations.
Persistent westerly winds will continue to transport a steady stream of moisture into the region through Thursday with snow continuing in many places.
Travel through the passes of the Northwest is expected to become treacherous tonight and Wednesday when the bulk of the snow will fall. I-90 could be impacted, as well as I-5 in southern Oregon.
By Thursday evening, high pressure should begin to take hold of the region, putting an end to the wintry weather.
While this latest storm system dumps fresh powder on the Northwest, more wintry weather will impact the northern Plains and Northeast.
More Weather News
-
What's Next for Beryl?
May 28, 2012; 12:25 PM ET
Beryl, with its drenching downpours and locally severe thunderstorms is expected to turn to the northeast, paralleling the Carolina coast during the middle of the week.
-
Memorial Day Storms Albany to Boston
May 28, 2012; 12:09 PM ET
Locally strong thunderstorms will roll across upstate New York and through part of New England into this evening.
-
"Mothership Cloud" Supercell Tornado In Texas
May 28, 2012; 12:07 PM ET
Storm chasers spotted the storm on May 21.
-
Photos: After-Effects of Tropical Storm Beryl
May 28, 2012; 12:00 PM ET
"Beryl, shmeryl..." No serious damage has been reported.
-
Severe Flooding in Northwestern Ontario
May 28, 2012; 10:49 AM ET
A state of emergency has been declared in the Thunder Bay area after severe flooding struck parts of Ontario's Lake Superior region.
-
Watching the Caribbean in the Wake of Beryl
May 28, 2012; 9:30 AM ET
The same general area of disturbed weather in the Caribbean that seeded Beryl, could attempt yet another tropical system this week.
-
Severe Storms to Slam Chicago, St. Louis, Springfield
May 28, 2012; 9:22 AM ET
Damaging thunderstorms will ignite from Chicago to St. Louis to Springfield later this afternoon and evening.
-
Memorial Day Weather for "Founding" Towns
May 28, 2012; 9:01 AM ET
Officially, Waterloo, N.Y., is the birthplace of Memorial Day, however, many towns in the U.S. claim the honor of being the first.
-
Atlantic Hurricane Forecast: Storms Close to the Coast
May 28, 2012; 7:32 AM ET
AccuWeather's 2012 Atlantic Hurricane Season forecasts 12 named tropical storms, five named hurricanes and two major hurricanes.
-
Beryl's Impacts on the Southeast
May 28, 2012; 5:25 AM ET
As Beryl moves into the Southeast, its impacts will be widespread. However, not all news will be bad.
Daily U.S. Extremes
past 24 hours
| Extreme | Location | |
|---|---|---|
| High | 100° | Smyrna, TN |
| Low | 15° | Sunset Crater, AZ |
| Precip | 3.99" | Wadena, MN |
WeatherWhys®
Hail is much more common during the months of May and June compared to July and August. The main reason is the fact that the freezing level is usually higher during July and August as pockets of cold air in the upper atmosphere are less common as the jet stream weakens and retreats farther north.
This Day In Weather History
Leesburg, Va. (1982)
In Leesburg, a suburb of Washington, D.C., 2.20 inches of rain fell in 15 minutes.
Leesburg, Fla. (1989)
A lightning bolt tore a 4-foot-wide hole in the ceiling of a residential dining room and struck a 9-year-old boy between the shoulder blades. Although injured, the boy survived.
Rough Weather
Comments
Comments left here should adhere to the AccuWeather.com Community Guidelines. Profanity, personal attacks, and spam will not be tolerated.