Pattern change will usher in first significant winter storm for West
Impacts started in the Pacific Northwest over the weekend and will gradually expand south and eastward.
A pattern change in the West will mean heavy rain and snow
FOX Weather meteorologist Steve Bender is tracking a start to a stormy week in the western U.S.
The FOX Forecast Center is tracking a parade of storms that will usher in cooler temperatures and could bring significant precipitation to areas that desperately need the moisture throughout the West.
The rain started over the weekend for coastal areas of Washington and is expected to continue to push inland and southward through the workweek.
Forecast models show parts of the busy Interstate 5 corridor from the Canadian border to Oregon could pick on several inches of rain.
Areas that are lower in elevation along the Olympic Mountains and northern Cascades will mostly see precipitation fall in the liquid variety.
Mountainous areas in the Cascades with an elevation well above 4,000 feet will have cooler air and should expect a significant snow event.
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The main storm system will begin to move through the Pacific Northwest Tuesday, resulting in more widespread rain and mountain snow.
The winter-like storm system is expected to produce the first significant snow of the year for the Sierra Nevada and parts of the Intermountain West could see over a foot of new powder as the moisture works eastward.
The FOX Forecast Center said there is still some uncertainty in just how much snow will fall and which specific mountain ranges will get hit the hardest, but travelers and residents should prepare for disruptions in travel.
West snowfall
(FOX Weather)
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The entire West is dealing with drought conditions that range from abnormally dry to exceptional, so the precipitation will be welcome news to the region.
In the lower elevations, the precipitation is expected to fall as beneficial rain in California, Nevada, Utah and Arizona.
The pattern looks to remain unsettled in the West, with outlooks from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration calling for above-average precipitation over the next two weeks.
