The winter conga-line has started for the Pacific Northwest and it has La Niña written all over it.
Typically in this weather pattern the jet stream gets pushed northward by the high pressure created by cooling waters off of Peru. The storms follow along under the jet and get channeled into the coast. That’s the short explainer, but what does it mean for those of you who don't speak "weather geek?"
Bad news for travelers, that’s what.
There will be one storm a day for the next 4-5 days lining up in the Pacific to slam the region through this weekend. We’ve already seen the heavy snow in the Cascades, and now the lowlands are getting the smack down.
The snow should be light today for areas around Seattle and Portland, with around 1 to 3 inches falling by the afternoon commute. As the next storm arrives after midnight, the snow will start to accumulate quickly. It's a classic scene: The big storm rolls onto the coast with the warm front in advance, throwing moisture inland. The cold air gets drawn southward from British Columbia, and that sets the stage for big snows. I think Seattle will see an additional 4 to 8 inches fall Wednesday on top of what you get today and tonight. Keep in mind the average snow at SeaTac in a given year is only around 8", so you’ll get a winter's worth in a day. The last time you’ve seen that much snow from a single storm was in November of 1985.
Another wow: I’m betting the Cascades in Oregon and Washington get as much as 3-4 FEET of snow through Thursday! It will be dangerous to try and get around those states (and Idaho too) for the next four days.
The Wednesday storm moves out, and another moves in for Thursday. This one will have more warm air with it, so the lowlands will get mostly rain, and that will be what you get to round out the weekend.
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