Weather threatens holiday travel as storms, dense fog hit parts of Pacific Northwest, Midwest, South
Severe weather continued to batter parts of the Pacific Northwest on Thursday, with heavy rain expected again in a handful of southern and Midwestern states. The storm surge is expected to impact travel plans after the Christmas holidays.
Moderate to heavy rain and a few thunderstorms are possible throughout the morning in Oregon and Washington state, causing up to 3 inches of flooding in the area, and some flooding is possible where the rain falls quickly, according to the National Weather Service. consult. Alpine snow, strong winds and dangerous surf are also expected.
Nearly 60,000 customers in Washington and Oregon were without power around 8 a.m. Pacific time Thursday, according to the Outage Tracker Looking for energy network.
This is the latest iteration in a series of firestorms caused by: atmospheric river Currently affecting the West Coast. The first round of storms in the Northwest is expected to move inland Thursday afternoon, providing the region with a brief respite before another round of extreme weather hits many of the same areas Thursday night, meteorologists said. Upcoming rainfall amounts are expected to increase by an inch or two by Friday morning.
High wind warnings were also issued for coastal Oregon on Thursday, including areas around Bandon, Coos Bay and Newport, as well as several suburbs in and around Seattle.
Forecasters in Medford, Oregon say in such a warning “Destructive winds will bring down trees and power lines,” and people in the area were advised to stay home and prepare for widespread power outages and difficult travel conditions. The warning states that winds could reach 20 or 30 mph by 10 a.m. Pacific time, with gusts as high as 50 mph.
The National Weather Service in Seattle issued a similar warning overnight Wednesday into Thursday, noting that peak wind gusts could reach around 60 mph along the coast and 55 mph around Puget Sound. Meteorologists in Portland reported wind gusts of 92 mph early Thursday morning in Beacon Rock, Washington, about 35 miles east of Portland, the weather service said.
The latest storm in the Pacific Northwest is causing a slew of dangerous weather on the West Coast this holiday week. Earlier, a major storm hit central California, killing at least one person at Sunset State Beach, who was trapped under debris on Monday after authorities believed a huge wave crushed him, the Associated Press reported.
Video sharer Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office It appears to show a building collapsing and being swept away by the sea.
Dangerous storms also hit the South on Thursday, threatening states including Arkansas, Louisiana and Texas with large hail, damaging winds, flash floods and tornadoes.
The National Weather Service in Fort Worth has issued a dense fog and flash flood warning for parts of the region that will remain in effect until late morning.
“Another round of thunderstorms is expected today, some of which may be severe,” forecasters said. said in consultation early Thursday. North and central Texas may be affected, but the worst of the storm is expected to hit in the afternoon as the system pushes toward east Texas, the weather service said.
Dense fog also hit parts of the Midwest on Thursday. In Kansas City, Forecaster predicts Fog and light rain will continue throughout the day, and areas of particularly low visibility — less than a quarter mile in some places — are expected to linger throughout central and eastern Kansas and central Missouri. Forecasts show the fog will clear by the afternoon, but only to a certain extent.
The outlook for northern Illinois is fairly similar.
“Dense fog will continue to occur over portions of northern Illinois through this afternoon,” the National Weather Service in Chicago said in a report Thursday morning. “Until conditions improve, visibility is expected to be low and roadway speeds will remain low.” Slow down.”
