Onslaught of storms to charge across the West Coast into late January
The weather pattern along the West Coast of the United States has become active with bouts of rain, ice and mountain snow, and AccuWeather meteorologists say that the Pacific storm train won't be slowing down anytime soon.
A storm on Tuesday brought icy conditions to Portland, Oregon, that lasted into the middle of the week. Just a few days prior, on Jan. 13, the city was blanketed with more than an inch of snow. Freezing air also resulted in a brief period of icy precipitation in Seattle on Tuesday night.
About 95,000 customers remained without power in western Oregon as of late Thursday night, with tens of thousands of these outages lingering from the weekend storm, which brought the snow to Portland and extensive ice farther to the south along Interstate 5, and tens of thousands of additional outages due to the latest widespread freezing rain event on Thursday. Reports state that crews have been working diligently to restore power, but icy road conditions and fallen trees have impacted the response.
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A semitruck drives on SW Pacific Highway as wind blows snow across the road on Saturday, Jan. 13, 2024, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane) |
AccuWeather meteorologists expect the wintry conditions along the Interstate 5 corridor to dwindle as freezing air retreats into the weekend and is replaced with temperatures more typical of the season. In the four days from Jan. 13-16, Seattle and Portland experienced respective temperature departures of 17 and 20 degrees Fahrenheit below historical averages.
Travel through the mountain passes will remain difficult through late in the week despite snow levels rising into Friday. Early Wednesday morning, icy conditions and multiple accidents forced the closure of eastbound lanes of I-90 near Snoqualmie Pass.
AccuWeather meteorologists expect storms to trudge into the West Coast into next week.
"Late Friday into Saturday, another low-pressure area will come toward the West Coast farther south than prior storms. This will open the door for a series of storms into the West that can affect areas from Washington down into northern and perhaps central parts of California from this weekend into next week," Zehr said.
By early next week, the storm train may dip far enough south for cities such as Los Angeles and San Diego to receive some wet weather.
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Although the wet stretch will mean an increased risk of travel delays, the persistent push of storms from the Pacific will allow milder air to take over and eliminate the Arctic air of late.
By the weekend, Seattle's high temperature will be near the city's historical average in the upper 40s. The chilly air may take longer to erode in Portland completely, but highs can approach 50 by Monday.
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