Pacific Storm Train to Start Rolling Again Out West

A flip in the weather pattern will bring an end to the unusually dry and warm conditions that have characterized the last few weeks across much of the western U.S. Read on for a closer look at this upcoming change.

Rain and Snow Back in the Picture for the West

A train of moisture-rich storms coming in from the Pacific will put the threat of rain and snow back in the picture for the parched landscape. It has been a mostly dry and unseasonably warm weather pattern for most of the West over the last month. The return to a more typical winter weather story will happen during the second and third week of February.

The change in the weather will not happen all at once. Instead, it will follow a more incremental pattern in the days ahead. A northward bulge set up over the western U.S. for the last few weeks has kept the storms at bay for the region. This has been in stark contrast to the other side of the U.S., where a pronounced dip in the East has allowed for frequent intrusions of Arctic air and wintry precipitation.

Forecasters are predicting that this jet stream will become a little less complicated beginning this weekend.