Snowstorms have been pounding the mountains of the Northwest for the past several days.
According to the National Weather Service, many high elevations have been hit with 72 inches or more of accumulation over the past week, with another 12 to 36 inches on the way. The NWS has various winter weather and wind alerts posted across the region.
Moderate to heavy snowfall Friday through Saturday morning will continue to slam high elevations of the Cascades, northern Rockies, Boise Mountains, Blue Mountains and Tetons. This includes parts of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana and Wyoming, impacting truckers on I-84 and I-90, as well as U.S. highways 2, 12, 20, 26, 95, 97 and 395.
Powerful wind gusts of 35 to 55 mph will increase the risk of rollovers. They will also create blowing/drifting, occasional whiteout conditions and potential periodic road closures. Some areas where drivers may have the most trouble include Snoqualmie, Stevens, Lookout, Lolo, McKenzie and Willamette passes.
Winds will also howl in the foothills and lower elevations, even in areas that don’t receive snowfall. Gusts could exceed 40 mph in places such as Yakima and Walla Walla, Washington; Pendleton and The Dalles, Oregon; as well as Pocatello and Livingston, Idaho.
This latest storm should fade Saturday afternoon. However, another storm may be right on its heels, possibly arriving Monday.
Other weekend weather
Look for plenty of wet weather Friday through early next week from Texas to the mid-Atlantic. The highest accumulations, potentially exceeding 5 inches, will likely soak places from the Mississippi Valley to the Tennessee Valley, Ohio Valley and southern Appalachians. This may not sound like a lot over a four- to five-day period, but once the ground becomes saturated after the first few rains, additional rainfall could cause localized flooding.
Widespread flooding is unlikely, but drivers may hit water across surface streets and secondary routes once they exit the interstate highways. This is especially true in low-lying areas and places with poor drainage.
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