Windy, wintry storm whisking away Northwest warmth
By
Jake Sojda, AccuWeather meteorologist
Updated Mar 29, 2021 12:53 PM EST
Officials with the Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve in Alaska say an otter unfazed by heavy March snowfall took its time rolling and swimming in icy waters.
After a nice start to the weekend across much of the region, a potent storm system has swept into the northwestern United States to end it, bringing along powerful winds and disruptive snow in the process.
Much of the region enjoyed the warmth of spring before it was brought to an abrupt end on Sunday. Seattle spent Saturday in the mid-50s, which is near normal for the end of March, along with some sunshine. Places like Portland and Salem, Oregon, climbed to the middle 60s Saturday afternoon, which is a few degrees above normal. Those in the interior portions of Washington and Oregon were teased with even greater warmth. On Saturday, Bend, Oregon, topped out at 70 degrees, a temperature that is 17 degrees above normal for late March.
For Sunday, the warmth expanded farther inland. Places like Boise, Idaho, soared into the middle 70s, while Great Falls, Montana, was well into the 60s. Normal temperatures for Boise this time of year are in the upper 50s, while Great Falls is normally around 50.
All of this has come to an abrupt end, however, as a potent storm system charges through the Pacific Northwest and Rockies.
Snow arrived in the Washington and Oregon Cascades late Sunday, leading to difficult travel over Interstate-90's Snoqualmie Pass. While the heaviest snow swept through during Sunday night, snow showers will linger across the Cascades on Monday.
Snow will spread through the northern Rockies in Idaho and Montana and into Wyoming and eventually Colorado into Monday night. Several inches will fall in the mountains in these areas, but the fast-moving nature of the storm will limit overall snowfall totals.
For interior areas, the more drastic aspects of the storm will bring a change in temperatures as well as howling winds. Widespread wind gusts of 40-60 mph will be found from the leeward sides of the Cascades in Washington and Oregon, through the leeward side of the Rockies from Montana through Wyoming into Monday morning.
The high winds wreaked havoc in portions of central and eastern Washington on Sunday, stirring up dust which rapidly reduced visibility on the roadways. In Richland, a seven-car collision was reported on I-182 amid reduced visibility conditions, according to KREM.
A peak wind gusts of 87 mph was observed at Cut Bank Airport in Montana by Sunday evening, with numerous reports of 60-70 mph gusts.
Power outages have been reported as a result of the high winds, with over 51,000 customers without electricity in Washington, Oregon and Idaho as of 8:30 p.m. PDT Sunday, according to PowerOutage.us. This number has since dipped below 35,000.
The strongest winds will spread farther east at the beginning of the week, into more of the northern and central Plains.
High-profile vehicles will need to be wary of the gusts to avoid blowovers, especially on north-south sections of roads and near any passes or canyons. Portions of interstates 15, 25, 80, 82, 84 and 90 are all major thoroughfares that may be impacted.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP
The strong winds will also usher in a drastic drop in temperatures. Many interior areas will see a drop of 20-30 degrees between Sunday and Monday. Many places that had high temperatures in the 60s and 70s Sunday will see highs in the 40s on Monday. Some spots in western Montana will be stuck in the 30s.
When combined with the gusty winds, it will feel even more raw and wintry for much of the region. The chill will be short-lived though, with milder and sunnier weather returning by the middle of the week. Temperatures to end the month Wednesday are expected to return to the 50s and 60s and even a few lower 70s again.
Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier, Spectrum, FuboTV, Philo, and Verizon Fios.
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News / Weather Forecasts
Windy, wintry storm whisking away Northwest warmth
By Jake Sojda, AccuWeather meteorologist
Updated Mar 29, 2021 12:53 PM EST
Officials with the Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve in Alaska say an otter unfazed by heavy March snowfall took its time rolling and swimming in icy waters.
After a nice start to the weekend across much of the region, a potent storm system has swept into the northwestern United States to end it, bringing along powerful winds and disruptive snow in the process.
Much of the region enjoyed the warmth of spring before it was brought to an abrupt end on Sunday. Seattle spent Saturday in the mid-50s, which is near normal for the end of March, along with some sunshine. Places like Portland and Salem, Oregon, climbed to the middle 60s Saturday afternoon, which is a few degrees above normal. Those in the interior portions of Washington and Oregon were teased with even greater warmth. On Saturday, Bend, Oregon, topped out at 70 degrees, a temperature that is 17 degrees above normal for late March.
For Sunday, the warmth expanded farther inland. Places like Boise, Idaho, soared into the middle 70s, while Great Falls, Montana, was well into the 60s. Normal temperatures for Boise this time of year are in the upper 50s, while Great Falls is normally around 50.
All of this has come to an abrupt end, however, as a potent storm system charges through the Pacific Northwest and Rockies.
Snow arrived in the Washington and Oregon Cascades late Sunday, leading to difficult travel over Interstate-90's Snoqualmie Pass. While the heaviest snow swept through during Sunday night, snow showers will linger across the Cascades on Monday.
Snow will spread through the northern Rockies in Idaho and Montana and into Wyoming and eventually Colorado into Monday night. Several inches will fall in the mountains in these areas, but the fast-moving nature of the storm will limit overall snowfall totals.
For interior areas, the more drastic aspects of the storm will bring a change in temperatures as well as howling winds. Widespread wind gusts of 40-60 mph will be found from the leeward sides of the Cascades in Washington and Oregon, through the leeward side of the Rockies from Montana through Wyoming into Monday morning.
The high winds wreaked havoc in portions of central and eastern Washington on Sunday, stirring up dust which rapidly reduced visibility on the roadways. In Richland, a seven-car collision was reported on I-182 amid reduced visibility conditions, according to KREM.
A peak wind gusts of 87 mph was observed at Cut Bank Airport in Montana by Sunday evening, with numerous reports of 60-70 mph gusts.
Power outages have been reported as a result of the high winds, with over 51,000 customers without electricity in Washington, Oregon and Idaho as of 8:30 p.m. PDT Sunday, according to PowerOutage.us. This number has since dipped below 35,000.
The strongest winds will spread farther east at the beginning of the week, into more of the northern and central Plains.
High-profile vehicles will need to be wary of the gusts to avoid blowovers, especially on north-south sections of roads and near any passes or canyons. Portions of interstates 15, 25, 80, 82, 84 and 90 are all major thoroughfares that may be impacted.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP
The strong winds will also usher in a drastic drop in temperatures. Many interior areas will see a drop of 20-30 degrees between Sunday and Monday. Many places that had high temperatures in the 60s and 70s Sunday will see highs in the 40s on Monday. Some spots in western Montana will be stuck in the 30s.
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When combined with the gusty winds, it will feel even more raw and wintry for much of the region. The chill will be short-lived though, with milder and sunnier weather returning by the middle of the week. Temperatures to end the month Wednesday are expected to return to the 50s and 60s and even a few lower 70s again.
Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier, Spectrum, FuboTV, Philo, and Verizon Fios.
Report a Typo