Storms, unsettled weather make return to northwestern US into this weekend

By Brandon Buckingham, AccuWeather Meteorologist

WINTER WEATHER Updated Feb. 14, 2020 2:55 PM

After the persistently wet start to the year for places like Seattle and Portland, the last few days of dry conditions were much appreciated by area residents. Unfortunately, the dry conditions have ended for a large part of the region.

Following mainly dry weather at midweek, conditions changed on Thursday as the area of high pressure that promoted the quiet weather broke down.

A storm that focused much of its efforts on British Columbia, Canada, also delivered a bit of unsettled weather into the Pacific Northwest from Thursday to Friday.

This satellite image, captured at 11:50 a.m. PST Friday, Feb. 14, 2020, shows a one batch of clouds pushing over the interior Northwest as a larger mass of clouds, associated with a stronger storm lurks offshore over the Pacific Ocean. (NOAA / GOES-West)

The unsettled pattern is expected to continue across the region this weekend as a more impactful storm system moves ashore.

A steady rain is expected across the Pacific Northwest beginning during the day on Saturday, with wet weather expanding eastward overnight.

All of the hazards that come along with a heavy push of moisture will be reinvigorated once again this weekend. Most of the ground across the region remains nearly saturated, so the threat for landslides will once again become a concern as snow levels rise and then fall.

Motorists venturing over the passes should be prepared for rounds of heavy snow, despite a brief period of mixed precipitation or even rain for a short time.

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Travel through the Washington and Oregon passes will likely become extremely hazardous or impossible by Saturday night and through much of the day Sunday as heavy snow is expected to fall.

By Sunday, wintry weather will likely expand in coverage across the region. The storm may track far enough south to bring a bit of wet weather to Northern California.

Snow will likely track into the interior Northwest as well. Places like Spokane, Washington, and Boise, Idaho, may have to deal with a few snowflakes mixing in Saturday night and Sunday.

After the late week and weekend one-two punch of storm systems in the Northwest, the forecast does call for dry conditions to return. Aside from a few lingering rain or snow showers across the region Monday, another stretch of dry weather looks increasingly likely for a majority of the week next week.

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