Pacific Northwest in Store for a Wet and Windy Weekend

A wet weekend is looming for the Northwest, similar to what the region experienced just one week ago. Rain, strong winds along the coastal areas, and snow for the higher elevations are all in the forecast in the days ahead. Here is what you need to know heading into the weekend.

New Storm System Building in the Pacific Ocean Taking Aim at Northwest

A storm system is churning across the Pacific Ocean and setting its sights on the northwestern corner of the U.S. and up into British Columbia, Canada beginning this weekend. This weather maker is forecast to deliver repeated rounds of rain showers, windy conditions, and snow for the top elevations starting late Friday.

The first sign of trouble will happen along the coastal regions of Washington and Oregon. High winds will begin to whip up on Friday as the frontal boundary inches closer. Winds along the area beaches will hit speeds of 35 to 45 mph at times. Offshore winds will top out at about 60 mph, making it important that boating interests stay abreast of this developing situation.

The rain will follow behind the high winds throughout the weekend. Widespread rainfall totals of 1 to 3 inches are in the forecast for much of western Washington and Oregon. Pockets of locally higher amounts may fall across the upslope regions in the Coastal Range as well as the Cascades.

The worst of the rain is predicted to fall on Sunday in central Oregon. Rainfall rates could hit as high as 0.50-0.75 of an inch per hour in some parts of the region. When coming on the heels of the already soggy Saturday, it will not be surprising if localized flooding occurs. The threat of flooding will be the highest in upslope areas.

Like much of the rest of the country, northwestern Washington has been atypically dry thus far in October. The metro area of Seattle has only recorded about 35% of its usual rainfall total for October.

Forecast for Seattle and Portland

So what should Seattle expect out of this storm system? The Emerald City will see the rain move in on Saturday. The moisture machine will intensify overnight and into Sunday with about a quarter of an inch on tap. The precipitation will linger with scattered showers throughout the day Sunday and well into Monday. Highs will fall from the low 60s to start the weekend to the mid 50s on Sunday and into the low 50s to kick off the new work week. Winds will reach a peak of 10 to 15 mph over the weekend, well below the threshold that will impact the coast.

It will be even wetter to the south in Portland. This part of northern Oregon is expecting rain of a quarter of an inch on Saturday with another half of an inch in the forecast overnight. Sunday will bring an additional quarter of an inch with yet another quarter of an inch tacked on Monday before the conditions finally begin to dry out by Tuesday. The Rose City is forecast to reach highs of about 63 degrees before slipping into the upper 50s on Sunday and the mid 50s on Monday.