Storm Train Back on Track for the Pacific Northwest

The unsettled December will continue into the holidays for much of the Pacific Northwest and Northern California. Here is a look at this rocky forecast in the days ahead.

Storm Train Takes Aim at the West Coast

Another storm train is headed to the West Coast, set to impact the zone from Northern California and up into western Washington with the threat of flooding, avalanches, and mudslides. It has been a volatile period of weather for this corner of the country going back to the bomb cyclone that roared ashore in the middle of November. The parade of storms has continued to march through the area in recent weeks with this trend showing no signs of letting up.

The severe weather threat will intensify heading into the holiday week. The forecast is predicting that at least four meaningful weather makers will roll in from the Pacific Ocean through the end of the holidays. Each storm will have a compounding effect on the chance of flooding and mudslides as the moisture accumulates and saturates the ground. Although each storm individually will not be a serious threat, the exponential impact of the storms as a whole will pose dangers.

Approximately 1 to 2 feet of rain will fall along the west-facing slopes of the higher terrains through Friday of next week. At least one of the storms will likely intensify into an atmospheric river, an event that mimics a fire hose dropping heavy rain or snow.

The storms this weekend will serve as an appetizer of what is to come the following week. The worst of the impacts are forecast to hit in the days just before and after the Christmas holiday. The timing of these storms will translate to a high risk of travel complications for a large part of the western U.S.

Torrential rainfall will be the story for the Interstate 5 corridor in a zone from San Francisco and up to near Sacramento, Portland, and Seattle. The swath of heavy rain will push to the north and into Vancouver, British Columbia. Motorists should be prepared for the threat of ponding on the roads and reduced visibility.