CW3E Event Summary: 1-7 January 2021

January 8, 2021

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Active weather pattern produces an extremely wet start to 2021 in the Pacific Northwest

  • Several ARs associated with a series of storms over the Northeast Pacific Ocean impacted the Pacific Northwest during the first week of 2021
  • These storms produced at least 2–7 inches of total precipitation in northwestern California, western Oregon, and western Washington, with the highest amounts (> 10 inches) in the Olympic Mountains and North Cascades
  • More than 5 feet of snow fell in parts of the Olympic Mountains and Washington Cascades
  • Total water-year-to-date precipitation remains well-below normal across much of the western U.S.

MIMIC-TPW2 Total Precipitable Water

Valid 0000 UTC 1 January – 0000 UTC 7 January

Images from CIMSS/University of Wisconsin

Click images to see loops of GFS IVT/IWV analyses

Valid 0000 UTC 1 January – 0000 UTC 7 January


 

 

 

 

 

 

Summary provided by C. Castellano, J. Kalansky, N. Oakley, and F. M. Ralph; 8 January 2021