Another storm to swoop into the Pacific Northwest
By
Maura Kelly, AccuWeather meteorologist
Published Mar 5, 2021 6:56 PM EST
|
Updated Mar 7, 2021 6:34 PM EST
A series of storms in the Northwest has been reduced to one system, but that doesn't mean conditions will be any less drenching for the region.
The unsettled storm pattern that brought rain and mountain snow on Friday and Saturday, and is expected to continue into the beginning of this week.
However, this pattern is no longer expected to bring a series of storms to the region, but instead just one storm will linger near the West Coast through the first half of the week.
As snow lingered in the Cascades and northern Rocky Mountains from the late-week wave of stormy weather, another wave will followed quickly behind, swooping down along the coast of western Canada.
Rainfall from this storm marched into the coast of Washington, Oregon and far Northern California late Saturday night and will continue through the day on Sunday. Enough chilly air will be over the region, keeping snow levels around 3,000 feet as precipitation pushes east into the Cascade Range.
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Sunday and into Monday, the storm is forecast to slow down, keeping the center of the storm off the coast of the Pacific Northwest. While occasional showers will linger along the coasts of Washington and Oregon, areas of snow will spread inland across the higher elevations of these states as well as Idaho and Montana.
By Monday night, the storm will begin to drift south and will continue in this direction through the middle of the week, staying just close enough to the coast to continue occasional rounds of rain and dumping snow across higher-elevation areas.
With the storm far enough away from the coast and a lack of moisture with this feature, most precipitation that makes it to the western U.S. is expected to be light enough to not lead to any widespread flooding concerns.
By Wednesday, rainfall is forecast to sink south into Southern California as the weakening storm begins to turn to the east and move onshore. Rainfall can become steadier as the storm moves across this region, but downpours are not expected as the storm will be losing energy.
"In advance of the storm's arrival in California, temperatures at the start of the week will be unseasonably chilly for the northern and central portions of the state," AccuWeather Meteorologist Mary Gilbert said. "This unseasonable chill will spread southward by Wednesday, allowing conditions for the day to be as much as 20 degrees Fahrenheit below normal in places like Los Angeles."
Rainfall totals in Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego and Medford, Oregon, are forecast to reach 0.50 to 1.00 inch throughout the beginning of the week.
Locally higher amounts are possible across the Washington and Oregon coasts where precipitation will last longer. This will be the most likely areas for any flash flooding to occur.
"Much of Washington state has had a wet winter, and in some areas, water levels are already running high," said AccuWeather Meteorologist Ryan Adamson.
Any rain or high-elevation snow showers lingering over Southern California, Nevada and Arizona will dissipate throughout the day on Thursday as the storm moves into the center of the country and an area of high pressure builds into the West.
The timing of the storm moving into the Plains and how much energy it is able to maintain after tracking over the Rocky Mountains will play a role in a snow and severe weather threat late this week.
As of late Sunday morning, local time, Seattle has reported 0.39 of an inch of rain since Thursday. In Eugene and Astoria, Ore., rainfall of 0.46 of an inch and 1.00 inch have been reported, respectively.
Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier, Spectrum, Fubo, and Verizon Fios.
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News / Winter Weather
Another storm to swoop into the Pacific Northwest
By Maura Kelly, AccuWeather meteorologist
Published Mar 5, 2021 6:56 PM EST | Updated Mar 7, 2021 6:34 PM EST
A series of storms in the Northwest has been reduced to one system, but that doesn't mean conditions will be any less drenching for the region.
The unsettled storm pattern that brought rain and mountain snow on Friday and Saturday, and is expected to continue into the beginning of this week.
However, this pattern is no longer expected to bring a series of storms to the region, but instead just one storm will linger near the West Coast through the first half of the week.
As snow lingered in the Cascades and northern Rocky Mountains from the late-week wave of stormy weather, another wave will followed quickly behind, swooping down along the coast of western Canada.
Rainfall from this storm marched into the coast of Washington, Oregon and far Northern California late Saturday night and will continue through the day on Sunday. Enough chilly air will be over the region, keeping snow levels around 3,000 feet as precipitation pushes east into the Cascade Range.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP
Sunday and into Monday, the storm is forecast to slow down, keeping the center of the storm off the coast of the Pacific Northwest. While occasional showers will linger along the coasts of Washington and Oregon, areas of snow will spread inland across the higher elevations of these states as well as Idaho and Montana.
By Monday night, the storm will begin to drift south and will continue in this direction through the middle of the week, staying just close enough to the coast to continue occasional rounds of rain and dumping snow across higher-elevation areas.
With the storm far enough away from the coast and a lack of moisture with this feature, most precipitation that makes it to the western U.S. is expected to be light enough to not lead to any widespread flooding concerns.
By Wednesday, rainfall is forecast to sink south into Southern California as the weakening storm begins to turn to the east and move onshore. Rainfall can become steadier as the storm moves across this region, but downpours are not expected as the storm will be losing energy.
"In advance of the storm's arrival in California, temperatures at the start of the week will be unseasonably chilly for the northern and central portions of the state," AccuWeather Meteorologist Mary Gilbert said. "This unseasonable chill will spread southward by Wednesday, allowing conditions for the day to be as much as 20 degrees Fahrenheit below normal in places like Los Angeles."
Rainfall totals in Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego and Medford, Oregon, are forecast to reach 0.50 to 1.00 inch throughout the beginning of the week.
Locally higher amounts are possible across the Washington and Oregon coasts where precipitation will last longer. This will be the most likely areas for any flash flooding to occur.
"Much of Washington state has had a wet winter, and in some areas, water levels are already running high," said AccuWeather Meteorologist Ryan Adamson.
Any rain or high-elevation snow showers lingering over Southern California, Nevada and Arizona will dissipate throughout the day on Thursday as the storm moves into the center of the country and an area of high pressure builds into the West.
Related:
The timing of the storm moving into the Plains and how much energy it is able to maintain after tracking over the Rocky Mountains will play a role in a snow and severe weather threat late this week.
As of late Sunday morning, local time, Seattle has reported 0.39 of an inch of rain since Thursday. In Eugene and Astoria, Ore., rainfall of 0.46 of an inch and 1.00 inch have been reported, respectively.
Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier, Spectrum, Fubo, and Verizon Fios.
Report a Typo