Soggy Thanksgiving Holiday to Continue for the Pacific Northwest

Posted: November 25, 2021 3:16 pm

Parade of Storms to Deliver More Rounds of Rain to Close Out Holiday Weekend

While the bulk of the nation has been enjoying a relatively dry Thanksgiving week, the Pacific Northwest is on deck to see another atmospheric river to close out the festivities.

Soggy Fall After Dry Summer

You may have heard that the West Coast has been under severe drought conditions. Although that is true, the Pacific Northwest is actually under the gun for yet another round of massive rainfall thanks to the atmospheric river barging into the region.

The rain may be a pain for those looking to gather with friends and family outside this holiday weekend, however, it is a welcome relief for land that experienced an unseasonably dry summer. Ever since the fall began in earnest, the Pacific Northwest has been experiencing above average rainfall amounts.

For example, Seattle has measured an incredible 8.40 inches of rainfall in November thus far. This number translates to roughly 175% of normal so far this month. In fact, rain has fallen on the Emerald City 19 of the last 23 days this month. While the area is accustomed to significant rainfall in November, this amount of rain is enough to make residents take notice. With another soggy weekend on tap, this figure is likely to soar even higher, making residents long for the dry days of summer.

What to Expect in the Pacific Northwest in Coming Days

Much of British Columbia and Washington state is still recovering from last week’s atmospheric river that washed out roads and flooded homes. Unfortunately, more rain is on the way, starting on Thanksgiving and continuing through the weekend.

The area most likely to see the heaviest rain includes the northwestern corner of Washington state and into southwestern British Columbia. As a result of the impending rain, forecasters are warning Thanksgiving travelers to be ready for delays due to closed roadways. Like last week, mudslides and washed-out bridges may also be a problem, particularly as motorists head home from their Thanksgiving holiday destination.

Because this weather pattern is another result of the Pineapple Express coming out of the tropical Pacific, it will also bring warmer air temperatures along with it. This means that even the higher elevations may see the risk of flooding as the torrential rain melts the existing snow.

Brief Break Before More Rain

The first round of rain will exit the region late Friday. However, another round is expected to slam into the coast of the Pacific Northwest by Saturday. The region in the bullseye for this band of rain will be farther to the north with coastal British Columbia taking the brunt of this storm.

The biggest issue for this area is that rivers and creeks are already at their limits in some places thanks to last week’s massive rainfall. This rain will likely slow down the process of receding for these waterways. Because of the warmth associated with this system, the bulk of the precipitation will fall as rain and not snow.

Looking ahead at the long-range forecast, meteorologists believe that this corner of the US will see a much drier start to December in the coming days.

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