First fall storms to slam Pacific Northwest with heavy rain, potentially easing raging wildfires
THE TAKEAWAY
SEATTLE — The first fall storms of the season are set to drench the Pacific Northwest, just as meteorological fall gets underway, and could provide beneficial rain that would ease wildfires amid a record-setting wildfire season for the region.
August fires across Washington and Oregon alone burned more than 2.5 million acres, according to information from the National Interagency Fire Center.
WASHINGTON'S MOST DESTRUCTIVE WILDFIRE IN STATE HISTORY
This stormy pattern will bring clouds, cooler temperatures and widespread rain to the region beginning Wednesday. A dip in the Pacific jet stream will start to break the area of high pressure that has baked the Northwest for much of the past month.
HOW HIGH PRESSURE AND LOW PRESSURE DRIVE THE WEATHER
The jet stream acts as an atmospheric conveyor belt of storms and will usher in a stronger storm system Wednesday evening into Thursday morning.
The Interstate 5 corridor including Seattle and Portland, Oregon, could see periods of steady rain through Friday, picking up 1-2 inches of rain, with localized pockets of up to 5 inches of rain.
Storms will also pack strong wind gusts along the coast.
The storm system is expected to move inland through the week and will funnel moisture into the eastern side of the Cascades, which are typically drier because of the mountains' rain-shadow effect.
A Level 1 flash flood risk has been issued for Interior regions across eastern Washington, eastern Oregon and northern Idaho on Thursday and Friday.
Widespread scattered thunderstorms could also develop toward the end of the workweek, bringing brief periods heavy rain, small hail, strong wind gusts and lightning.
WHAT IS A FLASH FLOOD EMERGENCY?
Despite the lightning risk, rain could help put out ongoing wildfires.
There are 13 large active wildfires in Idaho that have burned more than 45,800 acres combined.
The Spokane Area Fires destroyed 833 buildings and burned nearly 10,000 acres last month across Spokane and Stevens counties.
"While it will not completely end fire season, the combination of widespread rain, cooler temperatures, and higher humidity should help slow fire growth and improve conditions for ongoing containment efforts," the FOX Forecast Center said.