Unusually strong fall storm impacts the Pacific Northwest

(KMSP) - The typical dry season in the Pacific Northwest is about to end with a bang as an enormous area of low pressure is headed for several states over the next few days.  The Cascades will take the brunt of the storm with wind gusts upwards of 60 mph and torrential rainfall right through the weekend.  The highest of elevations could get well over a foot of rain through Monday afternoon.  The Washington, Oregon, and California coasts could also get socked and end up with 6 inches of rain in spots which includes Seattle, Portland, and the San Francisco Bay area.  Even the northern Sierra Nevada’s (some of the worst hit areas of the several year drought) could end up with more than a foot of new moisture.

Further inland it’s rain and snow from parts of Idaho and Montana, down through Yellowstone National Park.  All of these areas are contending with drought conditions that will likely be wiped out by next week.

An unusually strong jet stream is the root cause of this massive storm pumping in large amounts of moisture out of the central Pacific.  While large impacts are not expected overall, some localized flooding, high elevation tree damage, mudslides, and flight delays are all likely for the next couple days.