Updated Jan. 10, 2020 2:52 PM
The parade of storms that has been marching across the Northwest through early January is expected to continue right into the middle of January, but with a twist. A blast of Arctic air, accompanying the storm, could contribute to travel mayhem early next week.
A storm will push onshore and then inland over the Northwest this weekend.
Rain will spread along the coasts of Washington and Oregon.
Warmer air will surge north into the Northwest with the arrival of the storm, caused snow levels to rise over Cascade Range initially.
As snow expands into the Rocky Mountains Friday night and Saturday, snow levels will drop to around 3,000-4,000 feet.
Enough moisture and cold air with this storm will even bring snow showers into some valleys across the Northwest, including areas around Boise, Idaho, where 1-3 inches of snow can fall.
Snow totals will easily climb to a foot or two in the highest elevations of the Cascades and Rockies through the beginning of the weekend.
Meteorologists caution that anyone traveling through the mountain passes of the Cascades to the Rocky Mountains of Idaho, Montana, Wyoming and northern Utah should be cautious of snow-covered roads and heed any snow chain requirements.
Snow can be seen piling up over Logan Pass in Glacier National Park, Montana, this week. (Glacier National Park webcam)
Snow showers are expected to linger across the mountains of the Northwest through Saturday night, but this will not be the end to the parade of storms.
The next storm system will already be sliding south along the Canadian border and is expected to move into the Pacific Northwest on Sunday.
This storm will help to usher a blast of Arctic air into the region.
Precipitation will start out as rain along coastal areas, but crashing snow levels could bring snow showers to sea level across the Washington coast through Sunday night.
"With a storm track coming in a little farther south, we’re concerned that there will be widespread, not rain, but snow in the Pacific Northwest as we go into next week, and that does include cities like Seattle and Portland that could be looking at accumulating snow,” AccuWeather Chief Broadcast Meteorologist Bernie Rayno said.
“I think there’s going to be heavy snow in the mountains, and they will continue to have major travel problems through the passes. The snow threat will extend much farther east of the Cascades into much of the Intermountain West,” he added.
Wet snowflakes can mix with rain in Seattle late Sunday night as temperatures fall to around freezing.
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The onslaught of storms won't end with the new week, and with Arctic air expected to remain in place, more rounds of snow are forecast to fall in lower elevations.
The next storm will quickly follow on Monday and will tap into the colder air lingering across the region. Snow can once again return to Washington coast.
Should Arctic air retreat north ahead of this early-week storm, snow will be limited to higher elevations with spotty rain showers falling in the lower elevations and valleys.
The conveyor belt of storms is likely to continue through the middle and end of next week. Many of the storms that moved through the Northwest during the beginning of January were quick-moving, smaller storms, but this may not be the case next week, according to AccuWeather meteorologists.
Forecasters expect an area of high pressure to build over Alaska and northwestern Canada through the second half of next week, shifting the track of bigger storms directly into the Northwest.
"The pattern from Sunday to nearly the end of next week has the potential to bring multiple heavy snow events to coastal areas of Washington and northern Oregon, as well as areas east of the Cascades," according to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Alex Sosnowski.
Beyond next Thursday, the weather pattern could yield additional rounds of heavy coastal rain and mountain snow with multiple storms lined up in the queue, and the setup could also usher in a return of mild, marine air into the region.
Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
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