Near-record cold in Northwest may lead to mountain snow
A dip in the jet stream will usher in an unseasonably cool weather pattern to the northwestern United States.
Even with the official start of summer just days away, many in the northwestern United States will have to deal with raw and rainy conditions that are more typical of late April than the middle of June.
Temperatures have soared to above historical averages in parts of the Northwest following an abnormally dry May and start to June. However, a robust storm system will help bring in big changes to the weather for this week. In some locations, snowflakes could fly.
"A cold front will continue to drag its way across the Northwest over the coming days. Behind that feature, a core of impressively cold air higher up in the atmosphere will blast its way onshore in the Pacific Northwest to start the workweek," said AccuWeather Meteorologist La Troy Thornton.
Intermittent showers began along the coastal Pacific Northwest on Sunday morning with rain expanding into portions of Idaho and Montana.
Showers will continue along the coast on Monday while rain intensity picks up across western Oregon and portions of eastern Washington.
"Periods of rain and possibly even a rumble or two of thunder are forecast to impact much of the Cascades and portions of the northern Rockies in Idaho and western Montana through early (this) week," Zehr said.
Rain in this area can be heavy at times — especially in the higher elevations where snow is possible —Monday evening through Tuesday evening.
"Snow will fall down to around 4,000 feet in the mountains, and snow may mix with rain in some of the mountain passes," Zehr said.
Although some may consider this early-week rainfall to be a nuisance, it will be welcomed with open arms in portions of Oregon. Any rain that falls in central Oregon will actually be beneficial in nature as much of the area continues to experience severe drought, according to the United States Drought Monitor.
This system will not only usher wet conditions back into the region, but it will also lock in cooler air that will send temperatures to unseasonable levels. For some cities, the mid-June chill will challenge decades-old records.
"The heart of the storm will be over Washington and Oregon on Monday; temperatures will average 10-15 degrees below average," Zehr said.
The mercury in Seattle is expected to reach 62 degrees on Monday, and Portland is forecast to have a high of just 61 degrees. The record lowest high temperature for June 19 is 57 in Seattle and 61 in Portland. In Seattle, the record for the lowest maximum temperature on June 19 was set over 100 years ago in 1916.
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