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Immense Moisture Headed to the West Coast This Week from the Pacific

Alexis Thornton

13 hours ago
South San Francisco Bay Area | Adobe

Enjoy the dry start to the week across the West Coast as another wet pattern is going to set up over the region by late Tuesday. Read on for more information about what you can expect in the western U.S. heading into the new week.

Atmospheric River Coming Together to Hit the West Coast

An atmospheric river is going to send significant rainfall across a large portion of the West Coast this week, raising the risk of flooding across Central and Southern California. The latest weather maker will be a continuation of the unsettled weather that the region has experienced thus far in February. Last week's storm brought rare snowfall to cities such as Seattle and Portland while San Francisco got hit with heavy rainfall.

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The upcoming plume of moisture will track to the south, impacting the central and southern portions of California. This is a part of the Golden State that has largely missed out on the moisture machine this winter. For instance, Fresno has only recorded roughly 56% of its historical average of rainfall dating back to October 1, the official start of the wet season in California.

It has been even drier heading to the south. Los Angeles has seen no more than 30% of its average rainfall since the beginning of the wet period.

Cold Air Will Precede the Moisture

A blast of Arctic air will precede the arrival of the atmospheric river. This influx of frigid air will dive down from Canada, impacting the Pacific Northwest to start the new work week. Some overnight low records may be challenged this week across this corner of the country.

Portland is forecast to see overnight lows dip down into the mid 20s for the first few days of the week. This is about 10 to 15 degrees below the typical readings during the middle of February. You will find a similar situation in Seattle with Monday and Tuesday expected to be the coldest nights.

The good news for those tired of the snow is that the moisture associated with the atmospheric river is not expected to creep that far to the north to produce wintry impacts for places such as Seattle and Portland.

The coastline of Washington and Oregon will see real feel readings slip into the teens after the sun goes down. Moving inland, it will be even chillier with single digits expected for places such as Bend, Oregon. The mountain resort town is forecast to see a low of just 2 degrees overnight Tuesday under clear skies.

Heavy Rainfall Headed to California

The latest forecast models indicate that the rain will begin to fire up by Tuesday across the Central Coast of California and up into the San Francisco Bay Area. However, the bulk of the moisture will hold off until later on Wednesday, expected to linger through Thursday.

La Jolla Beach | Adobe

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