Wet weather to dampen Pacific Northwest after an early week dry spell

By Renee Duff, AccuWeather.com Meteorologist

January 25,2016; 10:54PM,EST

 

 

Areas across the northwestern United States will experience a much-needed reprieve from the rain early this week. However, storms will once again take aim at the region by midweek.
While this dry spell is expected to only last into Tuesday morning, it will come as a welcome sight to many along the Washington and Oregon coasts, areas that have been drenched with rain since the beginning of January.
Storms have aimed at the northern half of the West Coast for much of the month.

Portland, Oregon, has already exceeded its normal rainfall for the month of January by more than an inch. Seattle is knocking on the door of exceeding its average monthly rainfall.
Even locations farther south have not been spared from the rain. San Francisco has seen more than 5 inches of rain, which is already above their normal January rainfall.
The storms this week will likely aim farther north and bypass northern California through at least midweek.
Following a dry Monday, a fast-moving system will brush the Northwest coast and bring rain for a time on Tuesday from Eugene, Oregon, to Seattle.
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More drenching rainfall is likely later in the week.
"A slower, stronger and more moisture-laden storm could bring a couple inches of rain on Wednesday night through Thursday night," Doll said.
Snow will be confined to only the highest elevations as milder air will accompany the rain.
High temperatures in Seattle and Portland on Wednesday could potentially tie or break existing records.

As an additional surge of moisture makes its way onshore on Friday, rain could even make it into northern California.
Lighter rain will continue to affect the Pacific Northwest into the weekend, but the bulk of the rain might focus farther south.
Locations across central and Southern California, which will stay dry this week, could break their dry spell this weekend.
There is a strong chance storms frequent the West Coast into the first week of February.