UNUSUALLY STRONG AND WET PACIFIC STORM SYSTEM TO IMPACT WESTERN WASHINGTON TONIGHT AND WEDNESDAY…

WE ARE NOT EXPECTING THIS TO BE A FLOOD EVENT AT THIS TIME

A VERY STRONG LATE SPRING PACIFIC JET STREAM WILL AIM AN UNUSUALLY MOIST BAND OF MOISTURE AT WESTERN WASHINGTON TONIGHT AND WEDNESDAY.

RAINFALL AMOUNTS FROM TONIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY NIGHT WILL RANGE FROM 1.5 TO 3 INCHES IN THE CASCADES WITH THE HIGHEST AMOUNTS NEAR MT. RAINIER … 1.5 TO 2.5 INCHES IN THE OLYMPICS…1 TO 2 INCHES ALONG THE COAST…AND 0.5 TO 1.5 INCHES OVER THE INTERIOR LOWLANDS.

THE HEAVY RAIN WILL LEAD TO SIGNIFICANT RISES ON RIVERS IN WESTERN WASHINGTON WEDNESDAY.  SEVERAL RIVERS HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO REACH BANKFULL…AND SOME LOCALIZED FLOODING IS POSSIBLE INCLUDING URBAN AND SMALL STREAMS.

SNOW LEVELS WILL BE 7000 FEET THROUGH WEDNESDAY SLIGHTLY LOWERING WEDNESDAY NIGHT.  THE HEAVY RAIN OR SNOW COMBINED WITH STRONG WINDS WILL CAUSE DANGEROUS CONDITIONS ON THE CASCADE VOLCANOS.  PERSONS VENTURING INTO HIGHER ELEVATIONS ON THE VOLCANOS SHOULD FACTOR THE INCLEMENT CONDITIONS INTO THEIR PLANS AND ROUTE SELECTIONS.

THE COLD FRONT WILL MOVE THROUGH WESTERN WASHINGTON WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON INTO WEDNESDAY EVENING.  BEHIND THE FRONT RAINFALL WILL DECREASE QUICKLY WITH JUST SOME SHOWERS LEFT OVER THE AREA BY THURSDAY MORNING.