Storm train to keep rolling through the Northwest to start 2021
By
Renee Duff, AccuWeather senior meteorologist
Updated Jan 1, 2021 8:41 PM EDT
2020 brought catastrophic flooding, swarms of locusts, deadly landslides, back-to-back cyclones and hurricanes, and massive wildfires. We look back at the year around the globe.
The persistent storminess that marked the last few weeks of the year across the northwestern United States is expected to continue right through the first week of 2021. Forecasters say that precipitation from the storms may even extend into Central and Southern California on occasion.
"Through the end of next week, we're looking at the potential for a total of six to seven storms to bring significant rain and mountain snow to the West Coast," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist and western U.S. blogger Brian Thompson said.
Thompson expects the areas that have done well so far during the wet season, namely western parts of Washington and Oregon, to continue to be on the receiving end of the bulk of the precipitation through the first days of the new year.
Seattle ended December 2020 with slightly above-average precipitation with over 6 inches of rain and melted snow, compared to the city's December average of 5.35 inches. Most of this precipitation fell in the liquid form, though the city did pick up 0.5 of an inch of snow on Dec. 21.
One of the storms was pushing onshore along the Northwest coast late on New Year's Day, with another storm poised to sweep in right on its heels later Saturday. A new storm will arrive on the coast every one to two days thereafter through the first week of January.
"Northern California, which had a slow start to the wet season, will have things ramp up nicely to start to eat into some of the rainfall deficits," Thompson said.
San Francisco, Sacramento and Redding, California, all ended December with less than 50% of their normal precipitation for the month. Farther south, had it not been for a big rainstorm at the start of the week, Los Angeles would have been severely below average in terms of rainfall heading into the new year.
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The recent rainfall should put a clamp on the wildfire threat across California, even in central and southern areas of the state where precipitation will likely not return until one of the bigger storms in the bunch arrives early next week.
"Through the end of next week, there is the potential for 4-8 inches of rain from western Washington through northernmost California. Two to 3 inches of rain are possible during the period in the San Francisco Bay Area," Thompson said.
With each subsequent storm, the risk for flash flooding will increase as the ground becomes increasingly saturated and unable to absorb as much water. Anyone living downhill of burn scars will need to be wary of the threat for mudslides as well.
At the very least, the stormy pattern is likely to increase travel disruptions and make it difficult for residents to find extended dry periods to get outside.
Strong winds are also likely to push ashore with each storm, and as the ground becomes waterlogged, this could lead to an increased threat of fallen trees and power lines.
Across the high terrain, motorists will need to be wary of slippery, snow-covered roadways and other winter weather driving hazards.
The heaviest snowfall is likely to pile up in the Washington Cascades through the weekend, though feet of snow may be possible in the Sierra Nevada next week as the storm track takes a dip farther south.
It is then that a handful of the many storms coming into the West may bring some rain to Southern California, according to Thompson.
"As we saw on Monday, all it takes is one storm to produce quite a bit of rain," Thompson noted.
Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
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News / Weather Forecasts
Storm train to keep rolling through the Northwest to start 2021
By Renee Duff, AccuWeather senior meteorologist
Updated Jan 1, 2021 8:41 PM EDT
2020 brought catastrophic flooding, swarms of locusts, deadly landslides, back-to-back cyclones and hurricanes, and massive wildfires. We look back at the year around the globe.
The persistent storminess that marked the last few weeks of the year across the northwestern United States is expected to continue right through the first week of 2021. Forecasters say that precipitation from the storms may even extend into Central and Southern California on occasion.
"Through the end of next week, we're looking at the potential for a total of six to seven storms to bring significant rain and mountain snow to the West Coast," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist and western U.S. blogger Brian Thompson said.
Thompson expects the areas that have done well so far during the wet season, namely western parts of Washington and Oregon, to continue to be on the receiving end of the bulk of the precipitation through the first days of the new year.
Seattle ended December 2020 with slightly above-average precipitation with over 6 inches of rain and melted snow, compared to the city's December average of 5.35 inches. Most of this precipitation fell in the liquid form, though the city did pick up 0.5 of an inch of snow on Dec. 21.
One of the storms was pushing onshore along the Northwest coast late on New Year's Day, with another storm poised to sweep in right on its heels later Saturday. A new storm will arrive on the coast every one to two days thereafter through the first week of January.
"Northern California, which had a slow start to the wet season, will have things ramp up nicely to start to eat into some of the rainfall deficits," Thompson said.
San Francisco, Sacramento and Redding, California, all ended December with less than 50% of their normal precipitation for the month. Farther south, had it not been for a big rainstorm at the start of the week, Los Angeles would have been severely below average in terms of rainfall heading into the new year.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP
The recent rainfall should put a clamp on the wildfire threat across California, even in central and southern areas of the state where precipitation will likely not return until one of the bigger storms in the bunch arrives early next week.
"Through the end of next week, there is the potential for 4-8 inches of rain from western Washington through northernmost California. Two to 3 inches of rain are possible during the period in the San Francisco Bay Area," Thompson said.
With each subsequent storm, the risk for flash flooding will increase as the ground becomes increasingly saturated and unable to absorb as much water. Anyone living downhill of burn scars will need to be wary of the threat for mudslides as well.
At the very least, the stormy pattern is likely to increase travel disruptions and make it difficult for residents to find extended dry periods to get outside.
Strong winds are also likely to push ashore with each storm, and as the ground becomes waterlogged, this could lead to an increased threat of fallen trees and power lines.
Across the high terrain, motorists will need to be wary of slippery, snow-covered roadways and other winter weather driving hazards.
The heaviest snowfall is likely to pile up in the Washington Cascades through the weekend, though feet of snow may be possible in the Sierra Nevada next week as the storm track takes a dip farther south.
It is then that a handful of the many storms coming into the West may bring some rain to Southern California, according to Thompson.
"As we saw on Monday, all it takes is one storm to produce quite a bit of rain," Thompson noted.
Related:
Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
Report a Typo