Washington state is no stranger to wild weather but this is ridiculous.
Current forecast models are a warning of 22 ft. waves and up to 5-14 inches of rainfall. However 1 inch of rain usually equates to roughly 10 inches of snow, which means snowfall totals above 6,000 ft could total 140”, which is over 11 ft. of snow!
However those massive rainfall totals could mean destructive flooding across the western portion of the state through Sunday. (See Below for NOAA’s Flood Watch)
Winter Weather Advisory
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN SEATTLE HAS ISSUED A WINTER WEATHER
ADVISORY…WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM 10 AM THIS MORNING TO 8 PM PST
THIS EVENING.
* SOME AFFECTED LOCATIONS…MOUNT BAKER HIGHWAY…THE ROAD TO
PARADISE ON MOUNT RAINIER.
* TIMING…SNOW WILL DEVELOP LATE THIS MORNING AND CONTINUE THROUGH
EARLY THIS EVENING…BEFORE CHANGING TO RAIN.
* ACCUMULATIONS…3 TO 11 INCHES OVER MOUNT BAKER AND 2 TO 8
INCHES AROUND PARADISE ON MOUNT RAINIER…BEFORE THE SNOW
CHANGES TO RAIN THIS EVENING.
* SNOW LEVEL…AROUND 2500 FEET TODAY AT MOUNT BAKER AND AROUND
3000 FEET AT MOUNT RAINIER TODAY. THE SNOW LEVEL WILL RISE TO
ABOVE 5000 FEET EARLY THIS EVENING…WITH SNOW CHANGING TO RAIN.
* MAIN IMPACT…WINTER DRIVING CONDITIONS.
High Surf Advisory
* WAVES AND SURF…SEAS 15 TO 18 FEET TONIGHT AND FRIDAY. SEAS
BUILDING TO 19 TO 22 FEET FRIDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING. SEAS
WILL SUBSIDE TO 12 TO 14 FEET SATURDAY.
Flood Watch
THE FLOOD WATCH CONTINUES FOR
* PORTIONS OF NORTHWEST WASHINGTON AND WEST CENTRAL WASHINGTON…
INCLUDING THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES…IN NORTHWEST WASHINGTON…
CLALLAM…GRAYS HARBOR…JEFFERSON…MASON…SKAGIT AND WHATCOM.
IN WEST CENTRAL WASHINGTON…KING…LEWIS…PIERCE…SNOHOMISH
AND THURSTON.
* FROM THIS EVENING THROUGH SUNDAY MORNING
…HEAVY RAIN COULD CAUSE RIVER FLOODING FRIDAY THROUGH THIS
WEEKEND..
HEAVY RAIN IS FORECAST AT TIMES THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH SATURDAY
MORNING. THE CASCADES AND OLYMPICS ARE FORECAST TO RECEIVE SIX TO
EIGHT INCHES GENERALLY…WITH SOME TEN INCH BULLSEYES IN THE
NORTH CASCADES AND UP TO FOURTEEN INCHES IN THE OLYMPICS. THE
LOWLANDS ARE FORECAST TO GET ONE TO TWO INCHES.
RAINFALL THIS HEAVY WOULD CAUSE FLOODING ON MANY AREA RIVERS. THIS
INCLUDES ANY RIVERS FLOWING OFF THE CASCADES FROM THE NOOKSACK IN
THE NORTH TO THE COWLITZ IN THE SOUTH. ALSO ANY OLYMPIC PENINSULA
RIVERS COULD FLOOD. EVEN THE RIVERS OF SOUTHWEST WASHINGTON SUCH AS
THE CHEHALIS AND ITS TRIBUTARIES COULD FLOOD. SOME FLOODING COULD
OCCUR AS EARLY AS LATE THURSDAY NIGHT. FLOODING IS LIKELY TO BE MORE
WIDESPREAD ON FRIDAY AND FRIDAY NIGHT. IF SOME OF THE LONGEST RIVERS
FLOOD…THE LOWER REACHES MAY NOT FALL BELOW FLOOD STAGE UNTIL
SUNDAY.
THERE IS STILL CONSIDERABLE UNCERTAINTY ABOUT WHERE THE HEAVIEST
RAIN WILL FALL. RECENT MODEL RUNS SHOW THE HEAVIEST RAIN OVER THE
NORTH CASCADES AND OLYMPICS BUT SOME OLDER RUNS HAD THE HEAVIEST
RAIN OVER THE CENTRAL CASCADES AND EVEN FARTHER SOUTH. SINCE THERE
IS UNCERTAINTY THE FLOOD WATCH COVERS EVERY RIVER FLOWING OFF THE
CASCADES AND OLYMPICS.