Umbrellas up, snow boots on: Storm train aims for Northwest
Rounds of rain and mountain snow will sweep through in quick succession, resulting in few opportunities for residents to enjoy extended daylight hours as the clocks spring forward this weekend.
Thunderstorms returned to California on March 6, pelting some communities with hail and drenching others with pouring rain.
Residents of the northwestern United States may struggle to capitalize on the extended daylight later this weekend as breaks between raindrops will be few and far between, AccuWeather forecasters say. The active pattern will bring snow back to the mountains, including the already hard-hit Sierra Nevada.
Storms were lined up across the northern Pacific Ocean on Friday, ready to track across the region every 24-36 hours beginning this weekend.
As the storms move into the Northwest, western Washington and Oregon will be hit by precipitation. The southern periphery of each storm will also sweep rain and mountain snow across Northern and Central California from Saturday through Tuesday.
Umbrellas and rain jackets will need to be close at hand
Seattle and Portland, Oregon, are among the cities that can expect a wet weekend and start to the new week. Rain is expected to arrive on Saturday, with additional waves on Sunday and Monday night into Tuesday.
"The majority of precipitation from these storms will stay north of the San Francisco Bay area across Northern California and into the Northwest, where there will be heavy coastal rain and heavy mountain snow," AccuWeather Chief Video Meteorologist Bernie Rayno said.
Over those four days, rainfall amounts may reach up to 2 inches along the Interstate 5 corridor, with higher amounts possible closer to the coast.
AccuWeather meteorologists say that none of the storms in the pattern are showing signs of unloading extreme rain amounts, which should limit the risk of flooding. Still, several bouts of rain hitting in quick succession can result in increased runoff and standing water in poor drainage areas.
Sierra Nevada to receive another burst of snow
In the high terrain, moisture will be wrung out in the form of snow with each storm, including across the Cascades, northern Rockies and Sierra Nevada.
Traveling over Interstate 90's Snoqualmie Pass is likely to be slippery from Saturday through Tuesday, with a few inches of accumulation expected.
Farther south, the northern and central Sierra Nevada will receive another dose of snow following the massive blizzard over the weekend. Six to 12 inches of snow can fall across the highest peaks, which may seem minuscule compared to the 6-10 feet of snow that piled up during the last snowstorm. Travel over Interstate 80's Donner Pass is likely to turn slippery once again, but closures are unlikely.
AccuWeather meteorologists say that a change in the pattern will allow for drier, milder weather to build along the West coast during the middle and latter parts of next week.
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