Numerous storms are set to bring soaking rain and mountain snow to the Pacific Northwest this week.
Published Feb. 27, 2022 5:46 AM EST | Updated Feb. 28, 2022 11:49 AM EST
Following what has been a lackluster February in terms of precipitation, the Pacific Northwest is ending the month on a stormy note. An active storm track has developed across the region and may wind up bringing too much of a good thing to the region.
The shape of the jet stream is playing a key role in leading storm after storm into the Northwest coast this week. Through midweek, the potent upper-level winds of the jet stream will bulge northward and guide storms from the Pacific into Washington, Oregon, Northern California and inland regions.
"It will be an active stretch of days across the Northwest as we leave February in the rearview mirror and start the month of March. A parade of storms will keep the weather active across the Northwest through Wednesday", explained AccuWeather Meteorologist Alex DaSilva.
The arrival of the rain and snow on Saturday was just a first look at what is to come this week. Across coastal locations near the Olympic Mountains, 24-hour rainfall totals from Saturday were upwards of 0.75 of an inch.
On Sunday, avalanche warnings were put in place for the western and eastern slopes of the Washington Cascades. The warnings noted a high level of danger for areas involving Stevens, Snoqualmie and White passes.
On Monday morning, both Stevens Pass and Snoqualmie Pass were closed due to the wet and heavy snow that spread across the region.
Into Tuesday, the heaviest rain is expected to spread across western Washington and Oregon as Pacific moisture is drawn into the region. Meteorologists note that rainfall amounts can range from 2-4 inches early this week from Portland, Oregon to Seattle, with locally higher amounts on the windward sides of the mountains. Both of these cities received under 30% of normal rainfall from Feb. 1-26.
In addition to the soaking rain, winds are expected to rattle the coast through Monday evening. Wind gusts upwards of 40 mph will be possible at times.
Snow levels will rise across the Cascades through Monday, heightening the risk of rain and snowmelt leading to river flooding. The risk of avalanches will also be elevated.
Ahead of the stormy weather on Monday, the National Hurricane Center began to send planes out on atmospheric river (AR) missions over the central and eastern Pacific on Sunday. According to the report, a U.S. Air Force Reserve WC-130J aircraft and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association G-IV aircraft will fly two concurrent missions on Monday to gather aerial weather reconnaissance data across the central and eastern Pacific.
During the AR missions, the planes fly at an altitude of 30,000 feet and use dropsondes to gather a vertical profile of data from the aircraft to the ocean's surface.
On Wednesday, another storm will arrive along the Northwest coast and spread additional rainfall to western Washington and Oregon. As this storm advances inland, it will spread snowfall from the southern Cascades into the Sierra Nevada Range by Thursday. Into Friday, snowfall will gradually move across the Rocky Mountains.
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Aside from the stormy pattern across the Northwest early week, the northward bulge in the jet stream will usher in mild conditions to the South. While the storm track largely is aimed northward, dry weather is expected to persist across Southwestern states through midweek.
Temperatures in California cities such as Fresno and San Diego will range in the middle 70s around midweek. Los Angeles is forecast to reach the lower to middle 80s by Tuesday. Likewise, for portions of far southeastern California and southern Arizona, the heat will build into the mid-80s to begin the month of March.
The pattern will shift gears once again by Thursday, and the jet stream will begin to dip southward across the West. Daytime temperatures will range closer to normal for early March across most Southwestern states.
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