Pacific Northwest Storm Watch: Flooding, power outages, and a midweek warm-up

It was a wet weekend as a series of Pacific weather systems moved onshore. The coast received two to four inches of rain, much of the interior of Western Washington got one to two inches of rain, and the Olympics and Cascades four to eight inches of rain, with a few spots getting as much as 10 inches of rain.

Thanks to four weeks of mid-winter, much drier-than-average weather, rivers were running lower than usual and had room to handle the runoff from the heavy rain over the weekend. Most rivers remained within their banks, with the exception of the Skokomish River in Mason County.

The wet weather is not quite over yet for Washington

One more weather system is forecast to spread rain onshore through the day Monday. This system is also accompanied by a strong low-pressure system that will approach the coast and kick up strong winds starting Monday afternoon and through much of the night.

Winds along the coast are forecast to be about 40 mph sustained, with gusts of 60 to 65 mph. For the interior of Western Washington, wind speeds should be in the 20 to 35 mph range, with gusts of around 50 mph. Local power outages are possible across the region.

This storm will also generate seas of up to 20 feet along the outer coast. Hazardous surf will run up beaches. If enjoying storm-watching along the coast, be sure to watch from a higher location, as the active surf will likely carry logs in the water.

Be prepared for snow

In the mountains, the weekend storm resulted in the snow level bouncing up to around 6,000 feet.

On Monday, snow levels are anticipated to be around 4,000 feet and drop to near 3,500 feet on Tuesday. This new weather system is expected to dump more snow, with 6 to 12 inches likely above the snow level, though higher peaks like the volcanoes could get as much as 2 feet of new snow.

Motorists crossing the higher Cascade passes, such as Stevens and White Passes, should be prepared for hazardous winter weather driving conditions. Snoqualmie Pass will likely have mainly rain rather than snow.

This fresh, wet snow on steep slopes will maintain an elevated mountain avalanche threat. Monitor the latest avalanche conditions from the Northwest Avalanche Center.

Strong winds through Tuesday

The strong winds are expected to ease Tuesday as the offshore low-pressure system weakens. Showers on Tuesday should decrease by evening. Highs on both Monday and Tuesday will be in the 50s, with lows ranging from the upper 30s to mid-40s.

A break in the wet weather is forecast for Wednesday as higher pressure aloft builds over the Pacific Northwest, offering some sunshine and likely the warmest temperatures of the year thus far. Highs are expected to be around 60 degrees. The last time Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) hit 60 degrees was back on November 8, over three months ago.

A weakening Pacific weather system will try to move into the higher pressure aloft on Thursday. Little, if any, rain is anticipated with this system. Sunbreaks will return Friday. Highs for the latter part of the week will be in the 50s, with lows mainly in the 40s.

The days continue to get longer, as the spring equinox is now less than four weeks away. Each day is gaining about three and a half minutes. Sunrise is now arriving before 7 AM.

This week will start with wet and blustery conditions and then settle down with some sunshine and mild temperatures for the remainder of the week as the month of February comes to an end.

Ted Buehner is the KIRO Newsradio meteorologist. Follow him on X and Bluesky.