A relatively dry stretch of weather across the Northwest looks to come to an end this week, as a pair of storms brings wet weather for much of the region.
Several cities have had below-normal rainfall so far in October.
Boise, Idaho, has recorded a mere 0.03 of an inch of rainfall through Oct. 12. Seattle, Washington, had only about 0.25 of an inch of rain during the same time, about eight percent of normal for the month of October.
In an update that the United States Drought Monitor released this week, parts of western Washington and northwestern Oregon were again distinguished as "abnormally dry". This was a consistent distinction after being listed this way since mid-September. However, much of Washington and western Oregon was listed as being in a moderate or severe drought back in August.
Despite mostly dry weather across the region through Tuesday, the drought distinctions could disappear totally by the end of this week.
The first of two storms will push into the southern part of British Columbia late Tuesday night and Wednesday.
Rainfall will arrive in cities like Seattle and Portland on Wednesday morning before encompassing the remainder of Washington and Oregon, as well as northern Idaho and northwestern California, by Wednesday evening.
Winds will also pick up on Wednesday, creating brisk conditions and wind-driven rain for many.
A reinforcing push of wet weather comes Thursday night and into Friday as a second storm moves into southern British Columbia, keeping rain around the region into Saturday.
Between both waves, as much as 1-3 inches of rainfall is possible, especially on the westward-facing shores of Washington and Oregon. A few areas could have rainfall amounts up to 4 inches.
Given the dry conditions, for most the rain will be seen as a blessing, helping to relieve the slight drought across much of the area. However, there can be too much of a good thing.
"Localized flooding is possible, especially on Friday, as rounds of rain fall in the same areas for multiple days," said AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Eric Leister.
But not all of the precipitation will be falling as rain. Enough cool air will be associated with the wet weather to allow for the higher elevations to have precipitation falling as snow.
"Warm air arriving with the first storm on Wednesday will result in very high snow levels," said Leister.
However, cooler air will build behind the first storm.
"The cold air filtering in behind the first storm and arriving with the second storm will cause snow levels to fall on Thursday and Friday, with snowfall accumulations possible down to pass level," Leister added.
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Accumulating snow will be possible for passes at the 4,000- to 5,500-foot level, like Stevens and Sherman Pass, with a foot or more of snow possible in the highest peaks of the Cascades and northern Rockies.
The wave of cold air moving into the region with the second storm could allow below-normal temperatures to settle across the area into the weekend.
Highs in the lower 50s are anticipated for cities like Seattle, Portland and Boise, while temperatures struggled to get to the middle 40s in places like Spokane, Washington, and Missoula, Montana.
In addition to the chill, more storminess could bring unsettled weather to the northwestern United States for the coming weekend, and possibly even the following week, with the possibility of more mountain snow.
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