Rain to return to northwestern US in wake of dry, warm spell

By Renee Duff, AccuWeather.com Meteorologist

April 11,2016; 11:50AM,EDT

 

 

Following a week-long stretch of record warmth and sunshine, wet weather will return to the northwestern United States by the middle of the week.
The large area of high pressure that kept the region rain-free will shift eastward, opening the door for storms to roll ashore this week.
Dry weather is expected to last through Monday before a system pushes moisture onshore during Tuesday.
While the day will not be a washout by any means, people will have to dodge showers throughout Tuesday and into the middle of the week.

"On-and-off rain is expected to last through Thursday," AccuWeather Meteorologist Brian Lada stated. "This could lead to some minor travel delays on the roads and at the airport."
Cities that can expect wet weather during this time period include Seattle, Spokane and Olympia, Washington; Portland, Eugene and Medford, Oregon; Boise, Idaho; and Billings, Bozeman and Great Falls, Montana.
Spotty thunderstorms may be embedded with the showers across parts of Idaho and Montana.
Motorists should remain alert for slick spots as the dry weather has allowed oil to buildup on roadways.
Residents who may have put away rain jackets and umbrellas in light of the recent dry stretch will need to keep them handy this week.
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Rain will dive farther south on Thursday, reaching locations such as Redding, Sacramento and San Francisco, California.
Accompanying the rainy weather will be cooler, but more seasonable temperatures.
The combination of clouds, rain and breezy conditions will make it feel quite chilly, especially since many of these locations flirted with or exceeded the 80-degree Fahrenheit mark last week.
Temperatures will drop low enough for a few inches of snow to accumulate across the Washington and Oregon Cascades.
Most of the unsettled weather will shift eastward on Friday, allowing drier and warmer weather to return to the region in time for the weekend.
The impending wet weather will end the longest stretch of dry days in Seattle and Portland since October 2015.