The only difference between adventure and disaster is preparedness.

Monday, December 26, 2011

A Series of Frontal Systems Will Affect SW Washington this Week

Below is a weather message from the National Weather Service out of Portland.

A STRONG JET STREAM ACROSS THE PACIFIC WILL DIRECT A SERIES OF VIGOROUS FRONTAL SYSTEMS ACROSS SOUTHWEST WASHINGTON AND NORTHWEST OREGON DURING THE UPCOMING WEEK.

AT THIS TIME IT APPEARS THAT THE FRONT THAT MOVES THROUGH THE AREA EARLY TUESDAY MORNING WILL BE THE WEAKEST. STILL...IT
WILL PRODUCE LOCALLY HEAVY SNOW IN THE SOUTH WASHINGTON CASCADES ABOVE ABOUT 3000 FEET TONIGHT AND EARLY TUESDAY MORNING. SNOW WILL ALSO FALL TO PASS LEVEL IN THE OREGON CASCADES...THOUGH AMOUNTS WILL BE MUCH LIGHTER...AROUND 2 TO 5 INCHES. BREEZY CONDITIONS WILL BE FOUND AT THE COAST.

WETTER AND WINDIER FRONTAL SYSTEMS MOVE THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT AND WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND WILL BE ACCOMPANIED BY SNOW LEVELS WELL ABOVE PASS LEVEL. MAIN HAZARDS WITH THESE SYSTEMS WILL THEREFORE BE LOCALIZED FLOODING AS WELL AS BREEZY TO LOCALLY WINDY CONDITIONS...WITH HIGH WINDS POSSIBLE AT THE COAST AND IN THE COAST RANGE.

SEVERAL FORECAST MODELS HAVE BEEN ADVERTISING A RATHER DEEP LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM TO MOVE TOWARDS THE WASHINGTON COAST ON FRIDAY AND PUSH INLAND. WHILE THIS IS QUITE A FEW DAYS OUT AND THERE ARE SIGNIFICANT MODEL DIFFERENCES REGARDS TO THE TRACK OF THIS LOW...THIS SYSTEM HAS THE POTENTIAL TO CAUSE DAMAGING WINDS OVER PORTIONS OF THE AREA IF FORECAST MODELS ARE CORRECT.

WHILE NO PARTICULAR SYSTEM APPEARS THAT IT WILL CAUSE WIDESPREAD FLOODING...RIVERS WILL RISE. SOME OF THE MORE FLOOD PRONE
RIVERS...LIKE THE GRAYS RIVER...MAY APPROACH FLOOD STAGE. ALSO...LOCALIZED URBAN FLOODING CAN NOT BE RULED OUT LATER THIS
WEEK...ESPECIALLY WEDNESDAY NIGHT.

RESIDENTS OF SOUTHWEST WASHINGTON AND NORTHWEST OREGON ARE URGED TO CLOSELY MONITOR WEATHER FORECASTS DURING THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS. Go to http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/pqr/ for further information.

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