Winter Storm Ferus Bringing Heavy Snow, Gusty Winds to the West

Chris Dolce
Published: December 21,2015
Winter Storm Ferus is bringing damaging winds, heavy snow and rain to the West for the start of Christmas week. Some snow from Ferus will also spread into the northern Plains Tuesday.
(MORE: The Science Behind Naming Winter Storms | Winter Storm Central)
Although the Northwest will remain unsettled much of this week with periods of rain and snow, the area of low pressure and cold front associated with Winter Storm Ferus will pack the biggest punch into Tuesday. In the lower elevations of western Oregon and southwest Washington where snow is not expected, strong winds from Ferus impacted the region, including the Portland, Oregon, metro area.

Current Radar

Below is a look at the forecast for Winter Storm Ferus, starting first with the wind impacts, followed by the snow forecast for the West and the northern Plains.
(MORE: Latest Impacts from Winter Storm Ferus)

Strong and Potentially Damaging Winds Possible in the West Through Tuesday

A potent area of low pressure moved inland into Washington and Oregon Monday accompanied by a period of strong and gusty winds. This area of low pressure will continue moving through the West into Tuesday, bringing gusty winds.
High wind warnings and wind advisories have been issued for portions of the West, including Oregon and Calfornia due to Winter Storm Ferus which is moving through the region.

High Wind Alerts

These gusty winds may down trees and power lines across the region through Tuesday.
(FORECAST: Sacramento | Reno, Nevada | San Diego)

Current Winds

Peak winds reached parts of the I-5 corridor (Willamette Valley) Monday afternoon and there have been numerous reports of trees and power lines down across northwestern Oregon as of late Monday afternoon. On Monday evening a trailor was overturned in Twin Falls, Idaho.
As of just before 5 p.m. PST Monday a wind gust of 71 mph was measured at the National Weather Service office in Pendleton, Oregon. At the Portland International Airport winds gusted to 55 mph just before 2 p.m and a tractor-trailer was blown off the roadway near the airport Monday afternoon.
In addition to the wind, the West will also deal with feet of snow and lower elevation rain this week.

Feet of Snow and Rain This Week

Heavy snow will pile up in the mountains of the West, courtesy of Winter Storm Ferus through Tuesday. Additional snow is likely through late week as the jet stream sends a series of disturbances across the region.
The higher elevations from the Cascades and the Sierra Nevada to Utah's Wasatch and the northern Rockies will likely measure snow in feet through midweek.
Some valley locations such as Spokane, Washington, will also see significant snowfall of up to 6 inches into Tuesday. Light accumulations are possible in the Salt Lake City valley, though much heavier totals are likely in the benches.
Winter storm warnings and watches, as well as winter weather advisories have been issued for a large area in the West, including portions of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, western Montana, western Wyoming, western Colorado, northern New Mexico, Utah, Nevada and the Sierra Nevada.

Winter Alerts

The snow especially combined with the wind, will make travel difficult through many passes in the region at times. This includes Interstate 90 through Snoqualmie Pass in Washington, which as of Friday had already seen more snow this season than they did during last year's very dry winter (104 inches). Interstate 90 was closed eastbound for a time to clear out accidents. Interstate 80 through Donner Pass in California may also be impacted by snow at times early this week.
As of 12:30 p.m. PST Monday, snowfall rates of 2 inches per hour were reported in Cle Elum, Washington with accumulation of 12 inches of snow so far. In Idaho 24 inches of snow was reported from Sunday into Monday at the Brundage ski area.
Snow even mixed with rain Monday afternoon at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport when the cold, upper-level low moved over the area.

Rain and Snow Forecast

Heavy rain also fell with more than 2 inches reported in southwestern Oregon and northern California as of Monday afternoon. Some areas may see more than 3 inches of rain through early this week in southwestern Oregon and northwestern California, leading to rises on rivers in the region.
Rain will continue pushing through central California, including in San Francisco, Sacramento Monday night and will reach as far south as Los Angeles and San Diego on Tuesday.

Plains Snow Tuesday

Low pressure associated with Ferus will also track into the northern Plains Tuesday into Tuesday night. Up to 6 inches of snow is possible in northern North Dakota and northwest Minnesota. This includes Grand Forks, North Dakota.
Winter Storm Ferus (FAIR-us) is from Latin meaning "wild or untamed."

PHOTOS: Winter Storm Ferus