Late-week rain, mountain snow to ramp up across northwestern US

By Renee Duff, AccuWeather.com Meteorologist

April 13,2016; 11:27PM,EDT

 

 

The northwestern United States will contend with rain and mountain snow as a potent storm pushes ashore late in the week.
"A robust system will slide into the northwestern United States on Thursday, spreading valley rain and mountain snow across the region," AccuWeather Meteorologist Brandon Zapolski said.
When compared with the system from earlier this week which brought spotty showers to the region, the late-week storm is expected to bring more widespread impacts.

Rain will begin to spread across coastal Washington, Oregon and northern California Wednesday night before pushing farther inland on Thursday.
Gusty winds will ramp up on Wednesday night, causing the rain to become windswept at times, mainly along the coast.
Cities that may experience a wet and slower-than-normal Thursday morning commute include Seattle, Portland, Eugene and Medford, Oregon, and Redding, California.
While it is unlikely that the rain will be heavy over a long enough period to cause flash flooding, motorists should watch for pooling of water on roadways, especially in poor drainage areas.
Enough cold air will filter in behind this system to promote wintry weather across the higher elevations.
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Snow levels will drop throughout Thursday and into Friday to around 3,000-5,000 feet in the Cascades and Sierra Nevada, Zapolski explained.
Slick spots will be possible across the mountain passes, especially during the overnight hours when snow does not have to fight the intense April sun.
As the Pacific Northwest begins to dry out on Friday, rain and snow will shift eastward into the northern and central Rockies.
In cities such as Bozeman and Great Falls, Montana, the precipitation will start as rain on Thursday before changing to snow as colder air takes hold on Friday. Several inches of snow may fall by Friday night.
This system will then stall over the Four Corners region, bringing flooding rain to the central U.S. and heavy snow to the Colorado Rockies this weekend.