Storm to slam northwestern US with wind and rain through Thursday

Much of the Pacific coast will be hit with heavy rain and gusty winds that can cause flooding, mudslides and sporadic power outages into Thursday.

Wind gusts could reach 60 mph along the coast from Eureka, California, to the Olympic Mountains in Washington.

Combined with soggy ground, the strong winds could topple trees and cause sporadic power outages from northern California to western Washington.

Much of northern California has already received a disruptive amount of rain this season, but this area will again be targeted by the heaviest rainfall.

“The lower elevations in western Washington and western Oregon received quite a bit of snow from the last storm,” said AccuWeather Meteorologist Michael Doll.

The threat of localized flooding will again be prevalent with this system, as well as the risk of mudslides and avalanches.

“The combination of rain and snow melt will create the threat for flooding along the [Interstate 5] corridor from Portland, Oregon, to Seattle,” said Doll.

The greatest risk of flooding will be along small streams and the short-run rivers flowing out of the Cascades and northern Sierra Nevada.

Avalanches, downed trees and toppled power lines could all cause road closures, particularly in higher elevations.

Those planning to travel along I-5 anywhere north of Sacramento, California; Interstate 84 in Oregon or I-90 in Washington, should plan ahead in case of road closures or flooding.

Some snow, ice and a wintry mix will occur east of the Cascades for a time, before a transition to plain rain. Travel will be slippery for a while.

Snow levels will rise to above the major passes of the Cascades with the storm. However, the air will be cold enough for rapidly accumulating snow at the onset, which will cause wintry travel conditions for a time.

Farther south, rain is in store for Donner Pass in California, until the tail end of the storm on Friday.

In the highest elevations of the Cascades and Seirra Nevada, a few feet of new snow will bury the slopes.

Snow will stretch from northeastern Oregon to the Bitterroot and Sawtooth mountains of Idaho, through western Montana and into the Yellowstone region of Wyoming.

While I-84 through Idaho will only receive spotty precipitation with this event, roads farther north - namely I-90 and I-15 through Idaho and Montana can be covered with snow, prior to a change to rain. Around a foot of snow could accumulate on the ridge tops in these areas by Thursday night, adding to the very heavy snow pack already in place throughout the western U.S.

While the worst impacts will spare Southern California and southern Nevada, Some rain will pivot through by the end of the week. Enough rain can occur to slow travel around Los Angeles and San Diego.

Report a Typo