A storm moving into the Northwest will bring heavy rain and damaging winds to five US states starting Monday.
Meteorologists warned parts of Washington, Oregon, California, Montana could see flash floods, toppled trees and power outages.
It comes on the heels of a weekend storm that was dragged into the region by an atmospheric river, dumping two to four inches of rain in coastal Washington and Oregon and triggering flash floods across the region.
The combined impact of these to storms will dump three to eight inches of rain in lower areas and more than 16 inches in mountainous terrain, according to AccuWeather meteorologist Jacob Hinson.
‘As a result, concerns for river flooding remains high, especially with the previous week’s snow melting and contributing to runoff,’ he said.
The National Weather Service (NWS) has issued numerous weather alerts across the Northwest, including storm and gale warnings along the coasts of Washington, Oregon and California.
‘We’re expecting gusts of 60-80 mph along the coast, locations just inland and along the mountaintops. More sheltered cities like Seattle can observe gusts around 40-60 mph,’ Hinson said.
This bout of stormy weather in the Northwest should subside by Tuesday afternoon.
As for the rest of the country, states that have been experiencing record-breaking cold this winter should see some long-awaited warm temperatures this week.
The Pacific Northwest is on high-alert for more flooding after a weekend storm triggered flash floods across the region, including in this section of US Route 2 in Washington
Various flood alerts have been issued across the five states in the storm’s path, including in major cities such as Seattle, Washington and Portland, Oregon.
Counties currently under flood warnings include Coos and Wheeler in Oregon, Malheur and Latah in Idaho, and Whitman, Spokane, Mason and Lincoln in Washington.
Some locations along the Northwest coast are on track to receive more rain in a two-day period than they have received so far this month, AccuWeather reported.
‘The Pacific Northwest is not getting a chance to breathe amid this active atmospheric river pattern,’ Hinson said.
‘The advancing storm has strengthened rapidly offshore and will be spreading yet more rain to the already soaked region.’
An atmospheric river is a long, narrow band of concentrated moisture in Earth’s atmosphere. They are especially significant along the US West Coast, where they create 30 to 50 percent of annual precipitation.
The heavy rains fueled by this week’s atmospheric river have been soaking sloped areas covered in weakly-packed snowfall, and this could increase the risk of avalanches in the mountains, according to AccuWeather.
Hikers are discouraged from venturing out given the stormy circumstances, the weather forecaster added.
In addition to the drenching rain, a fierce ‘string jet’ is expected to hit the Northwest coast as the storm moves onshore today.
The storm will move into the Northwest Monday and is expected to persist through Tuesday, impacting parts of Washington, Oregon, California, Montana and Idaho
In addition to the drenching rain, a fierce ‘string jet’ is expected to hit the Northwest coast as the storm moves onshore today, bringing winds up to 100 mph
A string jet — so-named because it resembles a bee’s stinger or scorpion’s tail in satellite images — is a small area of intense winds that can develop underneath low pressure systems and cause extensive wind damage.
These damaging gusts will stretch from the coasts of Washington, Oregon and northern California to the western borders of Idaho and Nevada.
They will be most powerful along the border between Washington and Oregon, potentially reaching 100 mph.
This area will be most at risk for downed trees and power outages through Tuesday morning, AccuWeather reported.
While the northwest will be battered by rain, the rest of the country is set for a week of what feels like spring.
Most of the US will see high temperatures between 10 and 15 degrees above average for late February.
But in the Southwest, temperatures could rise up to 20 degrees above average.
Most of the US will see high temperatures between 10 and 15 degrees above average for late February, ushering in spring-like conditions
From Southern California to New Mexico, highs could soar into low-90s for the first time this year, with cities such as Phoenix, Arizona and Los Angeles, California likely to see the highest temperatures by midweek.
Temperatures will also begin to rise across the Plains and interior Northeast early this week.
In the Plains, highs will climb into the high-60s and low-70s on Tuesday, a 70 to 90 degree difference compared to last week’s temperatures.
Further east, highs will begin reaching into the 40s and 50s across mid-Atlantic states on Monday before peaking from Tuesday to Wednesday, but a cold front will interrupt this warming trend by Thursday.
Afternoon highs could hit the mid-50s from Tuesday to Wednesday in New York City, potentially marking the highest temperature recorded in the Big Apple in nearly two months.
In the Southeast, cities such as Charlotte, North Carolina and Nashville, Tennessee will see temperatures gradually rise into the 60s Monday and continue to creep up through midweek.
Unfortunately, welcome warm weather may not be here to stay, meteorologists warn.
This time of year, temperatures can fluctuate between bursts of spring-like warmth and blasts of wintery cold air, according to AccuWeather.
So, many states across the US could see temperatures fall again before we begin the true transition into spring.
