Back-to-back storms threaten the Northwest with heavy snowfall

by Junna Base November 11, 2024

Two back-to-back storms were forecast to bring heavy snow and rain to parts of the Pacific Northwest, Northern California and the Rocky Mountains this week, triggering winter storm and flood warnings.

The storms pushing away from the Pacific are the result of an atmospheric river, a moisture-rich air corridor that forms when warmer air from the tropics moves toward the poles.

As the first of the two storms moves inland on Monday, it will bring heavy coastal rain and snow to the high plains of the Pacific Northwest and Northern California, according to the National Weather Service. By evening and into Tuesday, the wintry mix is expected to spread across the northern Rockies and Great Basin, bringing up to 8 to 12 inches of snow to the Cascades.

The next storm is expected to approach the Pacific Northwest on Tuesday evening, producing showers and thunderstorms along the coast and parts of coastal areas with the potential to trigger flooding. As the storm moves east, it could bring more snow to the Cascades.

“Precipitation totals could be up to 3 to 4 inches for the Olympics and 1 to 2 inches in Seattle and Portland,” AccuWeather meteorologist Elizabeth Danco said.

The weather service office in Seattle warned residents of possible river flooding this week.

“There are hardly any interruptions between the individual systems. Therefore, several rivers are forecast to reach the action phase and minor flooding is possible, particularly on Wednesday or Thursday,” the forecast said. “The extent of flooding next week will depend on the amount of precipitation, temperatures, snow depth and total precipitation in each of these weather systems.”

Winter storm warnings were active in several western states early Monday. In central Oregon, weather officials urged residents to remain cautious as they expect 8 to 16 inches of snow and wind gusts of up to 50 miles per hour.

“Traveling could be very difficult. The dangerous conditions could impact Monday morning and evening commutes. Gusty winds could down tree branches,” the weather service in Medford, Oregon, wrote in a winter weather advisory that could be extended Tuesday. Similar warnings were issued in parts of Washington, Northern California, Utah and Nevada.

In the Northern Hemisphere, atmospheric rivers typically occur in winter and are often cited as the cause of strong storms in the West. According to NASA, they are the largest freshwater transport mechanisms on Earth.

Storms are looming after record-breaking snowfall in Las Vegas and other cities

The atmospheric river approaching the northern West Coast is expected to arrive as residents in some areas were still digging in last week after a winter storm dumped record-breaking snowfall.

In Colorado, Lincoln and Elbert counties experienced historic snowfall between Tuesday and Saturday, with the areas receiving 35.5 and 41.5 inches of snow, respectively.

Colfax County, New Mexico saw 40 inches of snow from Wednesday through Friday, while parts of Albuquerque received 7.5 inches of snow. New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham declared a state of emergency and allocated $1.5 million in state funding to help relief organizations respond to the winter storm.

More than 30 inches of snow fell in one part of Las Vegas last week, breaking a decades-old record and prompting road closures and power outages. The weather service office in Las Vegas warned Monday of strong wind gusts that could cause “damage to trees and power lines” and create “dangerous travel conditions.”

Rain is forecast for eastern states as wildfires rage

Meteorologists expect showers and thunderstorms to spread across much of the eastern United States this week, from New England to the Gulf Coast, although it will not be enough to contain the ongoing wildfire threat in the Mid-Atlantic.

Heavy rain was expected across the Carolinas and central Gulf Coast ahead of a cold front on Monday. A secondary front would likely bring rain to the entire inland Northeast, including Upstate New York and New England.

The storms followed showers that reached the Atlantic coast Monday morning after dropping 0.17 inches of rain in New York City, the most the metro area has recorded since late September. Over the weekend, wildfires led to hazy skies and air quality warnings in the country’s most populous city.

The Mid-Atlantic region is struggling with a historic dry spell. New Jersey and Delaware reported their driest October on record, according to the weather service. Meanwhile, the city of Trenton, New Jersey recently broke the record for consecutive days without rain, set in 1903.

“This type of rain is certainly not enough to provide any real relief to the ongoing drought, but it would be enough to soak the top layer of soil and scrub, reducing the chance of dust being blown behind the front and “A wildfire ignited” spread Monday as westerly winds increased,” said Brett Anderson, senior meteorologist at AccuWeather.

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