Warm, dry pattern in Northwest to give way to unusual storm during final days of May
By
Renee Duff, AccuWeather senior meteorologist
Published May 26, 2020 10:52 AM EDT
The normalcy of our lives has been shaken up by COVID-19, and going to a campground will be no different.
Tranquil conditions will set up across the northwestern United States for the remainder of the week with record heat in a few locales -- but, forecasters say that could all change by the weekend.
Rounds of unsettled weather since the beginning of the month, combined with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, may have area residents itching for weather that allows for spending more time outdoors.
Outside of stray showers and thunderstorms in the mountains, that wish for drier weather will largely be granted for the remainder of the week as a broad area of high pressure builds northward across the West.
The building high pressure system will also promote a warming trend across the West, with the Southwest already feeling the heat.
By late week, thermometers in Seattle may come close to the 80-degree Fahrenheit mark, which is 13 degrees above normal. Portland and Pendleton, Oregon, could come close to 90.
It will be across the interior where the heat really cranks up with records in jeopardy of falling.
Temperatures are likely to soar into the upper 90s in Boise, Idaho, on Friday, coming close to the long-standing daily record high of 100 last reached in 1897. Saturday's record high of 98 will also be in jeopardy.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP
Pasco, Washington, and Missoula, Montana, are other locations where new high marks could be stamped in the history books Friday into Saturday.
While the interior will be heating up during this time frame, the warmest days will be behind coastal areas as a storm system sweeps from south to north along the Pacific Northwest coast.
"The path of this system is a bit unusual, especially for late May," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist and western U.S. blogger Brian Thompson said.
The storm is forecast to bring not only a drop in temperatures, with highs in places such as Seattle and Portland returning to the 60s this weekend, but also a soaking rainfall.
"This could be a sizable rain event for portions of the Pacific Northwest, with widespread showers and even a few thunderstorms somewhere in the Friday night to Sunday morning time frame," Thompson said.
"There will be the potential to pick up more than an inch of rain in some spots in areas that see multiple downpours. Any rain is good news in this area, where there are severe drought conditions in some places," Thompson said.
The greatest risk for thunderstorms which can contain hail and torrential downpours will generally be east of the Cascades.
"The atmosphere east of the Cascades will be primed for a bout of severe weather on Saturday," AccuWeather Meteorologist Mary Gilbert said. "These storms may get rather feisty, with hail and damaging winds up to an AccuWeather Local StormMax™ of 65 mph as the main threats."
A couple of the strongest thunderstorms could spin up a tornado as well.
Any rainfall this late in the spring will be welcome across the region, as AccuWeather meteorologists are predicting a rather dry, hot summer with an increased likelihood of wildfires.
Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
Report a Typo
News / Weather Forecasts
Warm, dry pattern in Northwest to give way to unusual storm during final days of May
By Renee Duff, AccuWeather senior meteorologist
Published May 26, 2020 10:52 AM EDT
The normalcy of our lives has been shaken up by COVID-19, and going to a campground will be no different.
Tranquil conditions will set up across the northwestern United States for the remainder of the week with record heat in a few locales -- but, forecasters say that could all change by the weekend.
Rounds of unsettled weather since the beginning of the month, combined with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, may have area residents itching for weather that allows for spending more time outdoors.
Outside of stray showers and thunderstorms in the mountains, that wish for drier weather will largely be granted for the remainder of the week as a broad area of high pressure builds northward across the West.
The building high pressure system will also promote a warming trend across the West, with the Southwest already feeling the heat.
By late week, thermometers in Seattle may come close to the 80-degree Fahrenheit mark, which is 13 degrees above normal. Portland and Pendleton, Oregon, could come close to 90.
It will be across the interior where the heat really cranks up with records in jeopardy of falling.
Temperatures are likely to soar into the upper 90s in Boise, Idaho, on Friday, coming close to the long-standing daily record high of 100 last reached in 1897. Saturday's record high of 98 will also be in jeopardy.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP
Pasco, Washington, and Missoula, Montana, are other locations where new high marks could be stamped in the history books Friday into Saturday.
While the interior will be heating up during this time frame, the warmest days will be behind coastal areas as a storm system sweeps from south to north along the Pacific Northwest coast.
"The path of this system is a bit unusual, especially for late May," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist and western U.S. blogger Brian Thompson said.
The storm is forecast to bring not only a drop in temperatures, with highs in places such as Seattle and Portland returning to the 60s this weekend, but also a soaking rainfall.
Related:
"This could be a sizable rain event for portions of the Pacific Northwest, with widespread showers and even a few thunderstorms somewhere in the Friday night to Sunday morning time frame," Thompson said.
"There will be the potential to pick up more than an inch of rain in some spots in areas that see multiple downpours. Any rain is good news in this area, where there are severe drought conditions in some places," Thompson said.
The greatest risk for thunderstorms which can contain hail and torrential downpours will generally be east of the Cascades.
"The atmosphere east of the Cascades will be primed for a bout of severe weather on Saturday," AccuWeather Meteorologist Mary Gilbert said. "These storms may get rather feisty, with hail and damaging winds up to an AccuWeather Local StormMax™ of 65 mph as the main threats."
A couple of the strongest thunderstorms could spin up a tornado as well.
Any rainfall this late in the spring will be welcome across the region, as AccuWeather meteorologists are predicting a rather dry, hot summer with an increased likelihood of wildfires.
Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
Report a Typo