The West has become a winter storm superhighway, as round after round of storms slam into the coast almost every other day for the next week.
“The floodgates, or should it be snowgates, have opened across the West with an incredibly active period for the next 7 days,” said the FOX Forecast Center. “Multiple storms will swing through the region, dropping feet of snow, leading to dangerous road conditions throughout the region.”
The FOX Future Radar shows a continual barrage of rain and snow, with the onslaught continuing for seven days.
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“A pretty active jet, and look how far south it goes,” explained Meteorologist Craig Herrera. “This is the dip in the jet; this is the dip in the rollercoaster that’s going to bring those storms right on that roller coaster across the southern tier and opens up the door for a number of storms from the Pacific Northwest through California.”
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The barrage of storms slamming the coast will mean 3 to 4 feet of snow for mountains over the next week. The weekend storm also opens the door for cold air, so even coastal ranges and inland valleys could see a dusting.
“I know this is massive. Look at the amount of rain coming down along the coastal range,” said Herrera. “I think by Saturday night into Sunday, with all the cold air in place, maybe a little bit of snow down at sea level right into Puget Sound.
Mountain passes through Washington, Oregon and California will be a tough drive as crews will have to clear snow and treat for ice almost constantly.
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“The northern Rockies and the Cascades could use it, believe it or not. Western Washington, sometimes you think that they get rain all the time,” continued Herrera. “But no, they were falling behind. And you can get some wild weather, including wildfires in the summer, if you don’t get that snowpack now.”
California could use the snow, too. The latest Sierra Snow Survey showed the Sierra Nevada at only 25% to 40% of the normal snowpack for this date.
Coastal cities like Forks, Washington, and Crescent City, California, will see 3 to 5 inches of rain over the next seven days, while Seattle will get off easy with only 1 to 2 inches.
Surf advisories, hazardous beach statements and hazardous sea warnings are already in place for the weekend.
The West Coast gets a little reprieve Friday as a strong storm closes in on the coast. A warm front will bring a few showers to the Pacific Northwest early before the cold front, and the heavier rains will move in late.
Snow will fall at pass level across Washington and Oregon and winds gusting to 40 mph in the mountains will mean treacherous travel.
Heavy rain and mountain snow cover the western half of Washington and Oregon. Snow levels drop to 2,000 feet and gusty conditions continue. High surf is possible across the coast.
The NWS issued Winter Weather Alerts across the Mountains of California and Oregon for Saturday through Sunday.
California will see rain spreading south throughout the day. Cold temperatures also filter in. The San Francisco Bay Area could drop into the 30s in interior areas on Sunday and Monday morning.
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Sunday is a bit of a breather weather-wise.
But as the storm energy pushes into California, this will translate to high surf from the San Francisco Bay Area to Santa Barbara.
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“While not quite as large as last week, the still powerful waves, coupled with higher than normal tides, will lead to at least minor coastal flooding,” said the FOX Forecast Center.
A warm front brings showers and mountain snow to the Pacific Northwest. Coastal areas could see flash flooding.
The NWS warned in their forecast discussion that Tuesday will be the heaviest snow day for the Pacific Northwest. Snow levels will drop to about 1000 feet, and mountains could see another foot or two of snow.
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The storm will churn up 15 to 18-foot waves and could mean coastal flooding during high tide for the Pacific Northwest.
Weather models show another powerful storm Wednesday soaking everyone from the Canadian border into Southern California before clearing into the weekend.
“Be prepared for that likely as we go through January to see more in the way of storms,” said Herrera. “Remember that little roller coaster bringing those storms right across the southern tier? Places that could use the moisture will continue to get that.”