Pattern change to bring fire relief to some, worsen conditions for others in West

With dozens of large blazes continuing to scorch the West, rain is desperately needed to assist firefighters. Though rain is in the forecast in some locations, others will not see the beneficial moisture and even in areas where rain does fall, other problems may arise.

Following a storm that delivered some light to moderate rain to western Washington and Oregon late last week, forecasters are monitoring a cold front which is likely to bring heavier and more widespread rain.

Rain arrived in western Washington and northwestern Oregon by Wednesday afternoon and progressed farther to the south and east through Thursday. On Wednesday, Seattle received 1.08 inches of rain, the first calendar day since May 30 with more than an inch of rain.

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As the heavy rain moves into the mountains, it may actually be too much of a good thing.

Another dose of rain will spread over the Northwest into Friday.

"Heavy rain over the Cascades could provide localized flash flooding, especially for low-lying and poor drainage areas," said AccuWeather Meteorologist Adam Sadvary. "Mountainous regions that have suffered from wildfires this summer may be susceptible to mudslides caused by a combination of heavy rain and loose terrain."

Portland, Oregon, has not accumulated an inch of rain in one day since June 6, but that could change by the end of the week.

Unfortunately, the rain will not make it much farther south.

"The cold front will bring much needed rain to some wildfire-stricken areas in the Cascades, but it will remain dry farther south for most of California, which is under severe drought," Sadvary said.

Not only will areas south of Oregon remain dry, but winds on the south side of the storm system will increase. The tinder-dry conditions will mean new fires could ignite and the winds could make new and existing fires spread quickly.

"Strong winds will also accompany this cold front, which could further exacerbate wildfire conditions in regions that miss out on rain from this system," Sadvary added.

Following Friday's storm in the Northwest, another system was forecast to move into Washington on Sunday. However, it now appears that the rain on Sunday will stay to the north in British Columbia. With these rain events, the rain is expected to largely be restricted to western Washington or north into Canada, while areas farther south miss out yet again.

By late this weekend and into next week, a large heat dome is expected to build over the West. This will mean the region will be dry and it will likely be until at least some time in October before the entire West will be in line for any chance of widespread precipitation.

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