WINTER'S COMING: Snow, landslides, flooding, power outages on their way
SEATTLE, Wash. – Buckets of snow. Torrential rain. Landslides.
Welcome to November.
The National Weather Service issued a special statement on Monday warning that two storm systems will be moving across the state this week, bringing with them just about every imaginable flavor of severe weather.
The first front will be the milder of the two, bringing moderate rain and heavy wind Tuesday night and Wednesday morning. A winter storm watch will be in place during this window, with the snow level expected to drop as low as 2,500 feet as up to 18 inches of snow falls in the passes.
Stevens Pass, White Pass, Chinook Pass, Paradise and Mount Baker are among the affected areas.
Things should get even more interesting Thursday evening, when a strong jet stream is expected to bring 5-8 inches of rain in the Olympics and North Cascades, which would almost certainly lead to flooding and landslides.
Sustained winds of 20-40 mph and gusts up to 60 mph are also forecast, which would likely cause power outages.
Though the worst of the storm is expected to hit closer to the coast, the NWS’ special statement covers most of Western Washington.
The good news? Q13 meteorologist Walter Kelley said Monday night's weather is supposed to be nice and mellow, though quite chilly.