Pacific storms to soak Washington to California, Arizona into next week

By Alex Sosnowski, AccuWeather.com Senior Meteorologist

November 18,2016; 8:10PM,EST

 

 

Rain from two storms will soak the Interstate 5 corridor of the Pacific coast and may hamper early Thanksgiving travel next week.
One storm will pivot ashore over the northwestern United States this weekend.
Rain and breezy conditions will expand along the coast from Washington to Oregon and northern California.

Fog and a low cloud ceiling could hinder some flight operations to the point where airline delays are possible at Seattle-Tacoma and San Francisco International Airports this weekend into early next week.
Enough rain can come down quickly enough to cause minor incidents of urban flooding into Sunday. However, stream and widespread flash and urban flooding are not anticipated from this storm in the Northwest.
In the Cascades, several inches of snow are likely over the high country. Just enough snow can fall at times to cause slippery conditions over Snoqualmie Pass along I-90 this weekend.
A second storm will roll in farther south and will have significant impact across Southern California, as well as portions of southern Nevada and Arizona during Sunday night and Monday.

This second storm may pack more of a punch in terms of impact on local and long-distance travel from Los Angeles and San Diego to Las Vegas and Phoenix.
Airline passengers should anticipate weather-related flight delays at Los Angeles International Airport by Monday.
The combination of a build-up of oil and water can make some road surfaces quite slick. Motorists should use caution when approaching intersections and freeway ramps. Allow extra stopping distance.
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In addition to wet travel along I-5, areas of rain can slow motorists along portions of I-8, I-10, I-15, I-17 and I-40 in the region in the Southwest.
A few incidents of flash and urban flooding, as well as mudslides, are also possible where the rain comes down too fast.
However, while the storm may cause travel issues, it will bring another small shot in the arm toward the rainfall deficit and extreme drought in much of the region.
Rainfall averaging one-quarter to one-half of an inch is likely along the Southern California coast with a general 1-2 inches likely over the mountains of Arizona. Rainfall is likely to be more sporadic over the Central Valley of California and the deserts in California, southern Nevada and southern Arizona.
Accumulating snow is not likely over the passes in California. There could be a small amount of snow at the tail end of the storm, however. The high country of the Sierra Nevada and the higher elevations in Arizona can pick up a few inches during early next week.