100 inches of snow and 40 below zero: Northwest faces harsh winter weather
Snow will be measured in feet in parts of the Northwest into the weekend, as cold, Arctic air combines forces with a storm train from the Pacific.
A series of storms from the Pacific will collide with frigid air to spread rain and snow across the Northwest and northern Rockies into the weekend.
Pining for a taste of the frozen tundra? There's no better place to be than the Northwest this week, where the combination of harsh Arctic winds and a parade of winter storms can lead to subzero temperatures, blizzard conditions and over 8 feet of snow into the early part of the weekend, say AccuWeather meteorologists.
The storms that moved ashore in the Northwest as of late have also been crossing the country, bringing the most significant and wide-reaching winter events of the season thus far to the central and eastern United States. That will continue to be the case deep into January as waves of Arctic air escape south through Canada and expand across the country.
Recent heavy snowfall contributed to an avalanche on Wednesday morning at Palisades Tahoe Resort, California, according to the Associated Press. Search and rescue operations were ongoing.
"Several small and one larger storm still will move through the Northwest as the week progresses, contributing to overall snow totals," said AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Heather Zehr.
The most recent storm that moved onshore in the Northwest on Wednesday has already dropped well over a foot of snow in portions of the Washington Cascades. At least 29 inches had fallen at Stevens Pass as of Tuesday, while Snoqualmie Pass recorded 18 inches.
Subsequent storms expected into this weekend will continue to dump heavy snow in the Cascades of Oregon and Washington and the Sierra Nevada range in California, as well as ranges in northeastern Oregon, northeastern Washington, Idaho, western Montana, Wyoming, Utah and Nevada. In these higher elevations, multiple feet of snow can fall through Saturday.
The AccuWeather Local StormMax™ is an incredible 100 inches for the series of storms expected through Friday.
When snow is measured in feet in the mountains of the West, it can shut down travel through passes. It can also have impacts on travel originating or arriving at airports in the region.
Accompanying and following the snow this week and next week will be a blast of much colder air coming straight from the Arctic. Not only will this drive temperatures to the lowest level so far this winter season, but it could challenge records well below zero.
In Great Falls, Montana, temperatures dropped below zero Wednesday night and are expected to remain there for the better part of the next four days, rising back above zero on Monday. Within that timeframe, overnight temperatures could drop as low as 40 below zero, challenging daily record lows from Friday night through Sunday night.
The reading on the thermometer won't tell the whole story, as the wind will add an extra bite to the air. The AccuWeather RealFeel® Temperature will get as low as 50 below zero, representing dangerous conditions for those outdoors for even short amounts of time.
The cold air will also drop snow levels—the elevation at which precipitation starts to fall as snow—close to sea level to end the week and start the weekend in the Pacific Northwest. This means that cities such as Portland can get some accumulating snow at times, along with temperatures that will be below freezing for multiple days.
"A more substantial storm will move through the region from Friday into Saturday; at the same time, even colder air will plunge into the region," said Zehr. "Depending on the storm's exact track, this brutal cold could lead to accumulating snow in places that rarely get it."
As this storm moves through, roads can be especially slippery in the Interstate 5 corridor. The potential also exists for a couple of inches of snow accumulation, even on paved surfaces.
A quieter period of weather is expected to follow this winter onslaught from Sunday into the early part of the new week as a ridge of high pressure builds in. However, the break could be short-lived as more storminess can arrive in the region from the Pacific toward the middle and end of the week.
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