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No rest for the Northwest as stormy pattern continues

By Brandon Buckingham, AccuWeather Meteorologist

Updated Dec 15, 2020 8:53 PM EDT

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According to the San Fransisco Chronicle, Lake Tahoe vacation travel will be banned for three weeks starting from December 11.

The Pacific Ocean firehose of moisture was unleashed across the Northwest late this past week, and it is not expected to ease up anytime soon.

The first of multiple storm systems came ashore Friday along the West coast, bringing a quick-hitting round of rain and snow to those in its path. San Francisco, Sacramento and Fresno had yet to receive any measurable precipitation so far this December, however that has since changed as the storm system moved inland.

Many locales across the Intermountain West continued to have snowflakes Saturday and Sunday from the unsettled weather pattern, making for tricky travel through mountainous roads.

This image, captured on Monday, Dec. 14, 2020, shows a train of storms lined up over the northern Pacific en route to British Columbia and the northwestern United States this week. (CIRA at Colorado State/GOES-West)

A majority of the basins across Washington, Oregon and Idaho are reporting near-average snow-water-equivalent, which is a measure of the liquid content within the snowpack when melted down. Farther south, the Sierra Nevada Range has struggled up to this point, with the northern, central and southern regions all reporting less than 50% of average snow-water-equivalent for this time of year.

While the recent snowfall and forecast for additional rounds of wintry weather will help to ease long-term worries for the 2021 water year, it will lead to a mess for travelers in the short term.

For those planning on driving through mountain passes almost anytime over the coming week, travelers are advised to keep a close eye on the forecast and make sure to heed any warnings from local officials.

Many residents across the Northwest and Intermountain West will want to prepare themselves for a newly arriving storm system just about every other day as the storm track remains highly active.

Yet another storm system will target the Pacific Northwest into Tuesday night, bringing along a fresh bout of mountain snow and valley rain. Primary impacts will generally reside along the Interstate 5 corridor in Washington and Oregon, where a wet commute can be expected.

Additionally, travel conditions across Washington's mountain pass roads will likely see adverse conditions into Tuesday night. Snow levels could fall below 3,500 feet, which could spell trouble for Stevens Pass and other mountainous roadways. Within bouts of heavier snow bands, snow levels could drop as much as an additional 1,000 feet, which could also spell trouble for Washington's Snoqualmie Pass.

Farther south in Oregon, temperatures will be slightly warmer, limiting snowfall to only the highest mountain roads in the northern portion of the state.

These storms will all be moving at a relatively quick pace, resulting in snow spreading into eastern Washington and Oregon, as well as northern Idaho and western Montana by midday Tuesday.

Spokane and Kennewick, Washington can expect to see snowflakes fly during the day on Tuesday, but with temperatures hovering near or slightly above freezing, lower-lying roadways may just end up wet rather than icy.

There looks to be no rest for the Northwest by midweek, as Mother Nature may throw yet another storm system hurling into the Pacific Northwest. By late Wednesday, another potent disturbance may be eyeing the northwestern United States once again.

This storm will likely not be limited to the northwestern fringes of the country either, as rain and mountain snow could spread well into California and over portions of the Great Basin and Rockies into Thursday night.

Related:

Vulnerable communities still recovering after Oregon wildfire
What is freezing fog?
Major snow and ice storm brewing for the East

By this time in the week ahead, rivers may rise to near bank-full across the Pacific Northwest, or beyond as a result of the consistently wet weather, and flooding may become an issue. Up in the mountains, the fresh snow will likely be measured by the foot in some places by Thursday. Skiers and snowboarders alike will want to heed any potential avalanche advisories as a result of the faceted layers of snow that will be present within the snowpack. While it may be extremely tempting to hit the fresh powder found across back country trails, conditions can turn deadly if you find yourself caught in an avalanche.

The weather pattern is not expected to ease up over the latter half of the week either, as additional storm systems will continue their march into the Northwest coast. The current forecast calls for continued wet weather through the upcoming weekend.

Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.

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