New Pineapple Express Weather Event Shifts Farther South

The Pineapple Express is once again taking aim at the Pacific Northwest, leaving the waterlogged region begging for mercy. Here is a closer look at the timing and expected impacts of this latest round of severe weather.

New Pineapple Express Pummeling the Northwest and Northern California

A new wave of the Pineapple Express is stretching from near the Hawaiian Islands and into Oregon through the end of the work week. The relentless rain will send some streams and rivers to major flood levels over the next few days. While the early-week atmospheric river focused on Washington state, the last-week event will drift farther south and into Oregon and Northern California. Although Washington will still see its fair share of moisture out of this storm, it will not approach the levels seen over the last week.

The forecast is calling for widespread rainfall of 4 to 8 inches across much of western Oregon. The populated Interstate 5 corridor through Portland will see slightly less rain. Up to 12 inches of rain is in the forecast for the western slopes of the Cascades in Oregon.

Rainfall of this magnitude is enough to create moderate to major flooding concerns in western Oregon. Some of the waterways may see crests approach record levels in and around Portland. Motorists should be ready for the possibility of road washouts and mudslides.

Short-run rivers and small streams in the higher terrains of Oregon will surge in a period of just a few hours. The lower elevations of the region will see waterways rise, crest, and then fall again over a period of just a few days.

Several counties in northwestern Oregon were under a flood warning late Thursday night. This included portions of the populated counties of Benton, Clackamas, Lane, Lincoln, Linn, Marion, Polk, and Yamhill.