Heavy Rains, Mountain Snow Threaten West Coast Due To Brewing Storm

Weather experts said that heavy rains and mountain snow could threaten the West Coast due to a developing storm in the Pacific.

They said that a storm diving out of the Gulf of Alaska would bring a surge of moisture into the region on the latter part of this week.

According to meteorologists, it is likely that the powerful storm that dumped heavy snow to Anchorage, Alaska, in the previous week will come slowly southward into early this week.

(Photo : Getty Images/Frederic J. Brown)

Wet Weather In California

According to forecasts this week, the corridor of wet weather will expand south and impacts are expected to spread into California as early as Tuesday.

Based on the weather outlook, a significant amount of rain on Tuesday will be felt over Northwestern California with the storm's warm front brushing the coast.

On the other hand, some amount of downpour may also move in toward the Central California coast by later Tuesday evening or Wednesday.

So far, the effects towards the West Coast can be relatively low, however, the brewing storm off the coast will likely be in no hurry to press the inland area.

In California, many cities across the Northwest have already encountered the shifting weather pattern as a series of storms had already brought massive rains and mountain snow to the region.

Officials said that residents in San Francisco could feel the effects of the incoming storm on Tuesday as a plume of subtropical moisture from the Pacific Ocean begins to approach the coast.

They also said that in addition to the onset of the wet weather on Tuesday, an increasingly gusty breeze could be experienced by those living in the area, especially right along the Pacific coast.

Weather experts noted that across the San Francisco Bay Area and the interior northern valleys of California, it was already six months since it has rained for three or more consecutive days.

They noticed that in the first 12 days of November, the Portland, Oregon has observed 11 days with measurable rainfall tallying up nearly four and a half inches.

Meteorologists said that this potential storm could prolong the onshore push of Pacific moisture along the coast, but limit the potential for heavy rain and mountain snow farther inland.

Factors for a Dramatic Weather Trend Change

Officials said that two factors would bring a dramatic change to the weather trend, which is that the southward dip in the jet stream will be pointed directly at California.

The jet stream is a fast, narrow current of air flowing from west to east that encircles the globe. This should not to be confused with the Gulf Stream which is instead an ocean current of drifting seawater, according to weather experts.

It turns out that the jet, on a number of counts, directly impacts surface weather patterns.

Furthermore, a large area of disruptive atmospheric energy will linger just off the West Coast.

They said that the possible storm would be fueled in part by an atmospheric river or the region's hallmark type of winter storm, which transports abundant moisture from the tropical Pacific straight to the West Coast.