OH, FRABJOUS DAY(S)!

Just in time for the weekend!

Special Statement
Statement as of 4:29 PM PST on February 13, 2014

... Three strong storms to affect western Washington through Monday morning with strong wind... rain and heavy mountain snow...

The first storm will arrive late this evening. Wind advisories are in effect for the north interior... and winter weather advisories are in effect for the mountains... so please refer to the latest advisory and forecast products for more detailed information on the first storm.

A break in the stormy weather is expected from late Friday afternoon through early Saturday morning.

The second storm will arrive around mid-day on Saturday. Once again... rain and heavy mountain snow will spread across western Washington on Saturday afternoon and evening. Southeast winds will increase as the storm arrives... with possible wind gusts of 45 to 55 mph along the Washington coast... while the interior I-5 corridor experiences gusts of 35 to 50 mph. Winds of this magnitude can cause minor damage and power outages.

A short break in stormy weather is expected early Sunday morning.

The greatest concern is with the third and final storm... which will arrive late Sunday morning. This storm will contain even stronger winds than the second storm... with a damaging high wind event possible for communities along the Washington coast. Further inland along the I-5 corridor... strong winds may be capable of producing additional minor damage. Again... wind speeds with this third storm should be even stronger than with the previous storm.

This third storm on Sunday will also produce heavy rain over The Lowlands of southwest Washington. The rain will cause rises on some low elevation rivers such as the Chehalis... with minor flooding possible early next week. The succession of storms will serve to saturate the ground and increase the risk of landslides with the Sunday storm. In the mountains above 2500 feet... this will be a significant winter storm. Very strong wind and 1 to 3 feet of snow may cause disorienting blizzard conditions in exposed mountain locations.

Haner