The National Weather Service said the storms are riding a stretch of trans-Pacific moisture from China to the Pacific Northwest.
The first of three rain and wind storms is rolling into the region Tuesday morning, marking the beginning of “The Big Dark.”
The National Weather Service said the storms are riding a stretch of trans-Pacific moisture from China to the Pacific Northwest.
The first storm will likely be a “garden variety” front, bringing a few hours of light rain and gusty winds before subsiding by the end of the day Tuesday, according to Jay Albrecht, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Seattle.
The second front, predicted to be more intense, is expected to hit Wednesday through Thursday morning with heavy rains and wind gusts of up to 50 mph on the coast and north of Everett, he said. In the Seattle region, winds could hit 35-40 mph.
“That’s not all that unusual as we get into fall, but it’s our first windy system of the year and the first one tends to prune the trees of some dead branches and cause some local power outages,” Albrecht said.
Between 2 and 8 inches of rain are expected in the region, Albrecht said. The Skokomish River in Mason County will be watched for flooding and some urban areas where drains are choked with leaves could also have street flooding, he said.
The third strong front will arrive late Saturday and, according to Albrecht, is expected to bring another round of heavy rains and wind similar to what is forecast for Wednesday.