As stated in the last few reports, our mild, Spring-Fever-inducing weather will end for 2 or 3 weeks, pushing back the warmth for awhile.  Here’s the latest scenario.

'Wee bit' of a break today & most of Tue before a WET & blustery series of systems hit the PNW.  A wintery pattern for sure, with relatively low freezing level and chilly temps.  The 2 key storms will be overnight Tue into Wed and again this coming weekend.  Showers and maybe even a rain/snow mix at or near valley floors on Thu.  Increasing rain & wind on Fri before a POWERFUL storm moves onshore overnight Sat.  Lots of ‘options’ on this storm as to how deep the Low will get, and its track.  Either way, expect moderate-to-heavy rain and WINDS this weekend.  Power outages are probable; you know the prep drill, just in case.

🍀 St Patty’s Day, Monday Mar 17, will remain blustery, with cold showers, on the backside of the weekend storm.  Tue the 18th should be dry.  Another cold storm moves in on from the north on Wed - probably late morning.  WINDY & wet, esp over western WA & BC.  The 1st day of Spring 2025 - Thursday Mar 20 - is trending mostly dry until the evening.  Fri Mar 21 will likely be dry.  

The weekend of Mar 22,23 is trending wet over northern portions of WA on Sat; clearing Sunday.  Right now, a cold air mass looks to settle in over the eastern Pacific during the week of Mar 24-28, which typically equates to cold rain, showers and again, fairly low snow levels (not unusual for Mar in the PNW).

Variability in the specifics of our forecast above is a given, however, the overall trend is for a wet & CHILLY period ahead.  Spring Fever will be pushed back for awhile.  

Repeating our ☕️☕️ Second Cup: Please note, we will be out-of-country from Fri Mar 14 - Sat Mar 29.  Depending on internet connections and available time to study/prepare, we may not publish forecast discussions during that period.  The effort will be made, of course, to uphold your Mon & Fri morning 'Mug Up' tradition.   

Good morn’n, Patron.  All indications are that the next couple of weeks will be on the cool side, with plenty of precip & mountain snowfall.  Sip on.

Dry & mild today, with a moderate-to-heavy rainfall event on tap to hit the northern 2/3 of Vancouver Island beginning tonight.  That rain field will slowly spread over the Puget Sound region on Sat, and continue to progress south to drape down over the rest of the western WA later Sat into Sunday.  Right now, models hold the main portion of moisture north of Salem.  This will be a cold front, so snow levels will drop below the passes in the northern Cascades.

Monday Mar 10 should be dry & cool.  Frost possible in the morning, if the sky clears in your location.  Late Tue will present an extended period of rain, mountain snow and breezy conditions.  Expect rain to move onshore Tue evening as a deep Low pressure system moves NE up along the coast.  WINDY.  Wet Wed and Thu — notably colder, with snow level fairly low.  Showery on Fri, with sun breaks.  (The atmospheric ‘wave’ from our storm will reform as it crosses the Rockies, setting up a major winter event for the upper Plains next weekend.)

Speaking of the Mar 15,16 weekend: it could be STORMY around the PNW.  Models suggest more rain on Sat, with a real drenching rain field on Sunday from northern CA up into BC.  Plenty of snowfall to help the snowpack - Shasta north into BC.  Notable WINDS, as well.

By Tue Mar 18, chilly but dry weather should return, as well as warmer, gotta-get-to-Spring temperatures for a couple of days.  A wet & windy system - primarily for western WA - could arrive overnight Wed into Thu the First day of Spring.  Another couple of dry days, before more showers arrive Sat night Mar 23.  Too far out to confirm at this time.

☕️☕️ Second Cup: Please note, we will be out-of-country from Fri Mar 14 - Sat Mar 29.  Depending on internet connections and available time to study/prepare, we may not publish forecast discussions during that period.  The effort will be made, of course, to uphold your Mon & Fri morning 'Mug Up' tradition.   

From the past: “It’s all right to hold a conversation, but you should let go of it now and then."

Let’s peek ahead at what March wx may present between now and the Spring Equinox.  Hot Mug time.

Dry break on tap today, with the next system charting for early Tue morning.  Not a super wet one, but it may be breezy - mainly over NW WA & southern Vancouver Is.  Turning dry again on Wed and on through the rest of the week.  

For the weekend of Mar 8,9, a Pacific storm has been charting to impact the far NW corner of WA, along with central Vancouver Is. with plenty of moderate rainfall for a couple of days.  Wet City there, but the rest of the PNW should stay dry this coming weekend.

Showers are likely to pop up over the Cascade Range Mon afternoon Mar 10 as a cooler air mass works inland off the eastern Pacific.

Enough with the regional dry stuff.  Here’s comes the wet cycle and notably COOLER TEMPS —>>  by Tue Mar 11 a long-lasting chilly westerly flow will shove moisture into the PNW, along with relatively low snow levels - below the passes, maybe even teasing a few flakes out over the higher areas of the coast range, both states.  Later on Wed Mar 12, temps will drop another few degrees, with plenty of moisture continuing to fall on through Thu the 13th.  Possible for rain/snow mix at the surface in many locations.  Foothills likely to get a ‘dusting' of The White.   

A strong Pacific storm arriving around midnight Thu Mar 13 is suggested by some model solutions - if verified, it will turn WINDY in Oregon, with cold air drawn from the east over the Puget Sound generating fairly low elevation snow or snow/rain mix.  We’ll monitor this closely.  Continued wet through that weekend, Mar 15,16.

As noted, a wet, chilly cycle is charting for Mar 11 on through the first day of Spring, March 20.  Great addition to the PNW snowpack is foreseen at this time.

Last call for the 2nd month of 2025.  What does early March hold for weather?  Let’s take a Mug ☕️ assisted gander.

The next couple of days will continue the delightful ’Spring tease’ pattern we have enjoyed this week.  Temps could pop into the 60s again (65 yesterday here at home base).  Precipitation will return overnight Saturday into Sunday —mostly over OR & possibly SW WA.  The cooler temps will get noticed Sunday.

Mon March 3 will be dry.  Not so on Tue, as additional moisture moves onshore in the afternoon; this system will wet western OR, WA & BC.  Showers decreasing Wed afternoon; cooler.  Looks dry on Thu, then more moisture arrives Fri to set up a mostly wet Mar 8,9 weekend (from Salem north to BC).  Expect rain to move in over Vancouver Is & southern BC first, drifting south overnight Fri.  Moderate-to-heavy rain for NW WA & BC.  Again, for now, model solutions limit the rainfall to just north of Salem early Sat, as the rain field shifts back north.  Looks like a short rain-break for much of Sunday Mar 9 (continued damp over NW WA/BC) before a cold, wet storm arrives overnight Sunday.

Week of Mar 10-14 is trending rather wet and notably colder!  Rain/snow mixed at the surface possible, but snow above 1,000-2,000 ft quite probable.  It could be quite WINDY Monday night, Mar 10!  Cold showers through early Thu, is our call for now.  Lots of mountain snow (although mostly in the US Cascades, so not much help with the snowpack in BC - at least this round).  Drier as the week ends (Mar 14), with a dry Mar 15,16 weekend possible, although on the chilly side.

Throughout the next couple of weeks, California will continue to receive on/off rain and mountain snow, with a ‘big’ storm on the 10th, esp for southern CA.

One of the strongest wind storms of the season is developing right now off the coast of Oregon.  Low center pressure of ~980 mb is expected to cross ‘inside the 130’ this afternoon, west of Astoria.  It is modeled to track for a ‘landfall’ around the Juan de Fuca Strait approx. 8 pm this evening, as center pressure slowly fills.  WINDS will likely gusts higher than 45 mph in much of western OR & WA later today and tonight.  Given saturated soils, tree falls are probable, as will be power outages. BE PREPARED - this could be a newsmaker event.  Rain and showers overnight, as well, but a long stretch of DRY wx is right around the proverbial corner.  Mug up, Patron.

By late Tue afternoon, the stormy atmosphere will calm down, ushering in an extended period of generally DRY and mild - even warm - weather to run out the month of Feb. (Vancouver Island could get a quick shot of rain/showers Wed night.)

Saturday, Mar 1, this weekend is looks absolutely delightful!!  Temps in the high 50s to low 60s west side.  A quick shot of precipitation is possible on Sunday, mainly over OR south of Woodburn.  

DRY & mild through the week Mar 3-7, with temps running a tad cooler.  Foggy bottoms possible in the usual locations.

Weekend of Mar 8,9 should start out dry on Sat, then turning damp from north-to-south on Sunday, as another series of Pacific fronts move into the PNW for a few days on into the following week.  Cool, with mountain snow.