Wet, windy weather to return to western US

After a week of calm weather, a series of storms will push into the northwestern United States as the week progresses.

“After a much-needed break from the rain across California, stormy weather will return once again,” AccuWeather Meteorologist Brett Rathbun said.

As one storm drops southward from British Columbia, enough moisture will be present to cause widespread snow over the interior Northwest beginning late on Monday night and continuing on Tuesday.

Portions of western Montana and eastern Idaho can receive a foot or more of snow into Wednesday from the storm from Canada and the cold air that follows.

Calm coastal conditions will also give way to increasing winds by the end of the day on Wednesday.

The bulk of the unsettled weather will occur during the second half of the week.

Following the first bands of Pacific moisture in the Northwest, rounds of rain can be expected to impact cities from Portland to San Francisco by Thursday.

Depending on how quickly temperatures climb above freezing, there could be an icy mix at the onset of the storm around Portland and the Columbia River Gorge.

By Thursday, snow is expected to blanket much of Montana, northwestern Wyoming and the higher elevations of Idaho, Washington and Oregon. Lower elevations, such as the Snake River Valley and parts of eastern Oregon, can anticipate periods of both rain and snow through the end of the week.

Waves of rain will blow across the coastal regions, including Seattle; Portland and Medford, Oregon, and San Francisco, Sacramento and Fresno, California. A stray afternoon shower or two could even bring some sprinkles to downtown Los Angeles.

“The rain will not be as heavy as the previous storms, however, enough rain could lead to localized areas of flash flooding,” Rathbun said.

Reminiscent of past weeks, flooding may threaten northern California, including the Sacramento Valley, where rainfall is expected to be heaviest.

Even with modestly gusty winds, falling trees could again block roads and cause power outages toward the end of the week as the ground becomes more saturated.

Snow will once again pound the high country.

“A few feet of snow can fall across the northern Sierra Nevada,” Rathbun said.

While those in the Sierra Nevada have been buried multiple times this winter by yards of snow, any addition to this healthy snow pack is welcome after years of drought.

“This will continue to help replenish the reservoirs for the dry summer months,” Rathbun said.

However, the precipitation also poses a threat to transportation, such as potential travel delays as coastal winds increase and visibility drops amid heavy rain.

“Those traveling on Interstate 5 from Seattle to Sacramento, California, should be prepared for rainy spells and reduced visibility,” AccuWeather Meteorologist Renee Duff said.

While the atmosphere over the interior Northwest will be lacking in moisture by Friday afternoon, rain and mountain snow will persist in California and western Oregon through Saturday morning.

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