We have had a parade of storms through the Pacific Northwest over the last few days, and the train is not stopping. This next storm will bring in the coldest air of the season thus far, and with plenty of moisture, is expected to bring heavy snow to the region over several days.
Snow Potential
Models are in decent agreement about the potential for a significant winter storm to impact the Northern Rockies Monday through Wednesday.
With that, there is already a Winter Storm Warning for parts of Montana, Wyoming, and Idaho. Many other areas are under Winter Storm Watches or Winter Weather Advisories. The winter alerts call for up to 2 feet of snow in the higher mountain peaks, with several inches to half a foot of snow down to the valleys and plains.
Additional Threats
Cold air will be brought in all the way from Canada. As a result, there are already frost and freeze alerts in place for some areas through Wednesday morning. Start to think about winterizing your home and bringing sensitive plants indoors. Don’t forget about your pets!
This next system packs a punch with strong winds. In fact, there is already a high wind watch across parts of the Central Valley of California as we could see gusts to 50 mph. This could prove to be bad news for firefighters working some of the larger fires.
Forecast
A frontal boundary moves onshore for the Pacific northwest Sunday night. With that, we are going to be watching for a few scattered rain and snow showers across Washington and Oregon into the afternoon and evening.
The front gets a push to the east on Monday, pulling in more moisture as it does so.
Snow will really start to blossom over the Rockies by Monday afternoon and evening, continuing into Tuesday as well. Heavy snow will fall during the evening drive potentially on Monday, making for tough travel over mountain passes.
We could see widespread snow accumulations of 6″+ across the Rockies. Right now, our models are highlighting Montana and Wyoming but this forecast will absolutely be changing in the next few days.
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