Action in the North Pacific Ocean is Moving into the Northwest

The northern Pacific Ocean is continuing to churn out storms, sending the moisture into the Pacific Northwest. Here is the latest on this active storm track and what it means for this corner of the U.S. in the days to come.

Several Rounds of Moisture Headed Back to the Northwest This Weekend

An influx of moisture will bring a mix of rain and snow to the northwestern U.S. in the coming week. Precipitation has been hit-and-miss across the region over the last week. But that is about to change heading into the weekend as a powerful storm first unleashes on Washington state and the southern edge of British Columbia, Canada.

Forecasters are predicting that a minor atmospheric river will set up over the region beginning late Saturday, resulting in rain for the lower elevations and snow for the higher terrains.

Rainfall amounts measuring between 0.75 of an inch and 1.50 inches are in store for the Interstate 5 corridor by Saturday evening. The line of rain will stretch along this interstate connecting Seattle to Portland, however, the highest amounts of rain will remain in northern Washington.

For instance, the moisture machine is forecast to crank up overnight on Saturday in Bellingham, Washington. This city not far from the Canadian border is expecting a quarter of an inch of rain after the sun goes down. Another inch is on tap for the following day and night. High temperatures will max out at about the 50-degree mark this weekend. Winds will pick up on Sunday, hitting speeds of 10 to 20 mph from the southeast.

Rainfall may be heavy enough to trigger flash flooding concerns. Motorists should also prepare for ponding on roadways and reduced visibility at times. The coastal areas of Washington and Oregon should expect up to 3 inches of rain out of this one storm. Rainfall of this magnitude will also hit the lower portions of the west-facing slopes of the Cascades and the Coast Ranges in the Northwest and down into the Siskiyous in Nothern California.