Pair of Potent Storms Gearing Up to Strike Parts of the West

A potent duo of storms originating in the Pacific is going to deliver heavy rain, mountain snow, and windy conditions to a large portion of the Pacific Northwest and Northern California this week. Not only will the storms carry everyday nuisances, but they will also raise the risk of mudslides in recent burn scar locations. Here is what you need to know about these potential impacts in the days ahead.

Pair of Moisture-Packed Storms Taking Aim at the Pacific Northwest and Northern California

Back-to-back storms will push into the western U.S. this week, creating days of messy conditions for some of the region's most populated cities. It will be difficult to distinguish the separate weather events, as some of the moisture will overlap. The appetizer to the two primary storms began to fire up late Monday, delivering scattered rain showers in the intermediate elevations stretching from western Washington and down into coastal portions of Northern California. Accumulating snow is possible in the top elevations of western Montana through Tuesday evening.

Two more storms packing a bigger punch are forecast to erupt later Tuesday. San Francisco and Sacramento will be in the bullseye for several hours of rain. This potent storm will bring the most significant impacts to coastal regions of Northern California, the southwestern corner of Oregon, and across the Olympic Mountains in northwestern Washington state. Widespread rainfall amounts of 2 to 4 inches are on tap for this zone. A general 1 to 2 inches of rain is expected in the swath of land north of San Francisco, up into the Washington coast, and to the east into the Cascades.