Second week of February to start on a quiet note across the Northwest

To say that it has been a wet start to the year across the Pacific Northwest would be an understatement, as numerous cities observed record stretches and amounts of wet weather. Looking ahead to the second week of February, a stretch of dry weather is finally in store for the region.

The town of Forks, Washington, observed what seemed to be never-ending rainfall to start the year, breaking multiple January precipitation records, including most days with measurable precipitation (31) and wettest January ever (30.78 inches).

Not only was it the wettest January on record, but the 30.78 inches of precipitation was also the all-time wettest month for the entire calendar year for the city.

On Friday, a helicopter rescue team saved a man who fled to his rooftop for safety from his flooded home. Rescue crews continued searching for people stuck in floodwaters into the weekend, according to Oregon Live.

The East Oregonian reported that the Oregon Army National Guard with the Umatilla County Search and Rescue airlifted 26 people to safety on Friday.

Oregon Department of Transportation shared videos and images of water rushing over Interstate 84, which is a major freeway that links Idaho and Oregon. Other images shared on social media show large semi trucks stuck in the floodwaters.

Gov. Kate Brown declared a state of emergency in counties across Oregon due to severe flooding, increased snowmelt, erosion, and landslides. Oregon’s coast is also set to get a thrashing from king tides this weekend.

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“Fast-moving, severe floods have required the evacuation of residences and shut down critical roads in northeastern Oregon,” Brown said.

Wet weather will want to lingered across the region for one more day as a quick-hitting storm system tracked inland from the Pacific Ocean.

Places like Seattle, Portland and Medford, Oregon, received one more day of wet weather on Saturday before drying out to end the weekend.

As the storm system tracks inland, wintry weather is expected to follow. Winter storm warnings have been posted for Great Falls, Montana, where snowfall and gusty winds will lead to white-out conditions.

Heavy snow fell across the high terrain as this storm system moved ashore, generally for locales above 3,000 feet in elevation, making travel across most of the Washington and Oregon passes tricky, especially during the morning.

Conditions will change for the better during the latter half of the weekend as a building ridge of high pressure settles in.

Although some of the valleys could start out the day with areas of fog Sunday, many locales across the region will have a return of sunshine to end the weekend.

A similar scenario is expected both Monday and Tuesday across the region as high pressure will continue to promote a tranquil weather pattern.

If the dry forecast verifies for places like Seattle and Portland, that would be the first three-day dry stretch of dry weather observed in those cities since late November.

A return of dry and settled conditions will not mean that all hazards left behind from the rainfall will come to an end. Because of the persistence of the rainfall to start the year, the ground remains saturated, especially across the Cascades and points west. Even with dry conditions in the forecast, an elevated threat for landslides will persist for some time.

Lingering hazards will continue across the high terrain as well through next week. Round after round of mountain snow over the previous weeks will continue to keep the avalanche threat high despite dry conditions.

The weather pattern is expected to shift back into a more unsettled pattern mid- to late week across the region as the ridge of high pressure erodes away. Spotty showers are possible across the Pacific Northwest beginning Wednesday, and quick-hitting disturbances may follow behind that through late week.

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