A Washington Hurricane?

By now you may have seen stories of a storm due to hit Washington on Tuesday night that is as strong as a hurricane. And these are accurate stories. However, they are all talking about western Washington. East of the Cascades, the weather from this storm will be much different. 

This storm is the one we were discussing in our previous blog, and it’s potential to bring heavy snow to our area. The explosive nature of this storm is a big reason why the computer  forecasts  changed their mind so dramatically, and why they continue to struggle with the exact details. 

First we’ll talk about the wind. Yes, western Washington (and Oregon) will experience a strong wind storm on Tuesday night. Here’s the European model’s prediction of wind gusts. 


Note that the highest winds will be along the coast, but that there will also be strong winds in the western mountains.  One area to note is the west slopes of the Washington Cascades which can see very strong winds in this pattern  

For eastern Washington, we won’t see those kinds of winds.  The reason?  This low won’t come onshore.  In fact, it will move the northwest and weaken over the ocean.  For our area to experience strong winds, the favored pattern is for a strong storm to move onshore and track across southern British Columbia.

As for snowfall in our area, this pattern favors the east slopes of the Cascades (Wenatchee, Winthrop, Omak).  But for northeast Washington, the forecast is more variable.  Here’s the European model forecast.  It’s sticking to its guns with a low-end snowfall event for us.  Other models that were previously more excited about this storm have backed off on their predictions.


Expect 1-2” in the metro area, 2-4” for Deer Park area, and 3-5” for the northern valleys. Snow will start late Tuesday night and end Wednesday, possibly changing to rain.  

Following this storm, there are a few more lined up for us.  But since Wednesday’s storm doesn’t bring any cold air with it into our area, the snow levels will be higher for the subsequent storms.  So expect more rain than snow.  The northern valleys will see more snow but eventually change to rain. Look for precipitation late Thursday night and Friday, with a cold front Friday night or Saturday that will end the event.  

After this, the pattern changes to a drier and colder one for next week, with periods of light snow possible.  We’ll have to see if the computers stick to this idea or change their mind again.




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