Storm Bringing Travel-Disrupting Rain, Snow to Northwest
10/22/2009 5:48 PM
People across the Pacific Northwest will be dealing with wet, windy weather as a storm system plows
into the region Friday. As the storm heads eastward Friday night into Satur
By Heather
Buchman
AccuWeather.com
People across the Pacific
Northwest will be dealing with wet, windy weather as a
storm system plows
into the region Friday. As the storm heads eastward Friday night into Saturday, conditions will deteriorate across the northern
Rockies.
The storm is tapping into a little moisture from Neki, which was still a hurricane churning west of Hawaii as of late Thursday afternoon.
Some rain will be quite heavy as it spreads into
western Washington by
early Friday morning. The heaviest rain, up to 1 to 2 inches, with locally higher amounts, will be focused over the Olympics and
Cascades.
Steady rain will also make it into western Oregon by the afternoon.
Motorists should be ready for slower traffic and slick roads, including along
Interstate 5, as they head to and from work Friday. Rain will dangerously lower
visibility at times.
Minor flooding could also result in low-lying and
poor drainage areas around places like
Seattle,
Tacoma and Portland.
Fortunately,
snow levels are expected to remain above pass level across the
Cascades. People traveling along
I-90 in Washington shouldn't run into any snow through Snoqualmie Pass.
The storm will head farther east Friday night into Saturday, spreading rain and mountain snow into Idaho, Montana,
Wyoming and the Dakotas.
Winds will pick up across parts of these states as well. Gusts could reach 40 to 60 mph at times, damaging trees, power lines and potentially
creating scattered power outages.
Snow levels in Montana will drop to about 5,000 feet. The combination of the snow and
gusty winds will create low visibility and slow traffic along
Interstate 90 over the passes. Several inches could accumulate at Mullan Pass, for
example.
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