As we bid farewell to summer, we are greeted with the unmistakable essence of autumn from the crisp air, the golden hues of falling leaves, the comforting aroma of pumpkin spice, and the first taste of autumn-like weather for much of the West.
A potent storm system is moving into the western U.S. by Wednesday, bringing showers to the Northwest and dropping an early-season chill across the region.
“The forecast models have been picking up on this significant dip in the jet (stream),” FOX Weather meteorologist Stephen Morgan said. “It’s almost the polar jet trying to make its presence known, as it does this time of year.”
WHY FALL SHOULD ACTUALLY BEGIN ON SEPTEMBER 1
The pattern becomes more active on Thursday as the storm strengthens, pulling colder air from Canada. Rain will become more widespread across the northern Rockies and northern Plains, creating soggy conditions to wrap up the workweek with widespread rainfall totals of 1-3 inches.
It’ll get cold enough on some mountain peaks for that rain to change to snow, and a few inches of snow are likely to fall at the highest elevations of Montana, Idaho, Wyoming and Colorado.
By week’s end, the main energy will shift into the nation’s midsection – also right on time as the start of astronomical fall signals the beginning of the second severe weather season.
“We’re looking at (severe weather threats for) Friday, Saturday and Sunday,” Morgan said. “The Storm Prediction Center (is) also mentioning that perhaps by Sunday we could continue with some of the severe weather. So it’s left to be seen what exactly we will see with this event.”
FALL IS THE SECOND SEVERE WEATHER SEASON
Widespread rain is expected from the Rockies to the Southern Plains. In addition, it appears that ingredients will come together in the Plains to produce severe weather from damaging winds, large hail and potentially a few tornadoes.
As a cold front continues pressing eastward, the storm threat will shift farther east into Saturday and Sunday.
WHY MAKES LEAVES CHANGE COLOR IN AUTUMN?
That cooler air will arrive behind the front, dropping some places to their coolest temperatures in months – a real taste of fall as the season kicks off on Saturday morning.
Widespread low temperatures in the 40s and even 30s in the higher elevations across much of the West will linger through the weekend.