Storm to dump feet of snow in northwestern US high country

It's way too early to write winter off in the western United States as a combination of an injection of Arctic air and a developing storm will set the stage for soaking coastal rain, travel-snarling snow and frigid conditions.

A push of Arctic air will invade the northern Rockies and interior Northwest this weekend.

Even though the surge of Arctic air appears to be more gradual than some blasts that have invaded the region in years past, by the middle of this weekend, some locations will measure temperatures 50 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit lower when compared to midweek highs.

Factoring in AccuWeather RealFeel® Temperatures, the nighttime hours may feel as much as 80 degrees colder when compared to Wednesday afternoon in Montana, northeastern Idaho and northern Wyoming, with values plummeting well below zero in these areas.

But even near the coast, where places such as Portland, Oregon, had a high near 60 at midweek, actual temperatures are forecast to dip into the middle 20s at night this weekend, when some snowflakes may be flying.

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Freezing levels will plunge to most valley floors across the interior Northwest and are likely to end up within a couple hundred feet around Puget Sound, Washington.

Travel over the passes will become slippery and difficult. Blizzard conditions can occur for a time, including Lookout, Homestake and Bozeman passes in Montana along Interstate 90, as well as Marias Pass, along U.S. Route 2 in Montana.

Several inches of snow is forecast in Spokane, Washington. Meanwhile, Great Falls, Montana, can expect a foot or more of snow to pile up over the weekend.

"This particular setup may deprive the Washington and Oregon Cascades of more than a foot of snow, but the eastern slopes of the northern Rockies, and especially the Sierra Nevada, can pick up several feet of snow from the storm," AccuWeather Chief On-Air Meteorologist Bernie Rayno said.

The combination of the snow and wind toppled trees in northern Idaho. A utility company in the area reported that over 10,000 customers were without power in the areas surrounding Bonner, Idaho.

The heavy and sudden amount of snow over the high country will raise the risk of avalanches.

The pattern that continues into early next week over California may end up being a "March miracle" in terms of precipitation. In addition to rain spreading from northern to southern California, there is the potential for 3-5 feet of snow to fall on the high country through Tuesday.

The Sierra Nevada got off to a good start with early-season heavy snowfall events from November to December. However, most of January and February were void of snow, resulting in a large snowfall deficit for the mountain range.

Outside of the higher elevations, rain will spread southward along the Pacific coast as the storm spins just offshore.

"The storm should deliver a thorough soaking to most coastal areas from Oregon this weekend through Northern California early next week," Rayno said.

"For these coastal areas, we are probably looking at a general 0.50 of an inch to an inch of rain with locally higher amounts, especially on mountainsides, in the lower elevations," he added.

The rainfall is especially important for Northern California as a storm bypassed the region and aimed at Southern California this past week. Areas over the southern third of the state picked up between 0.50 of an inch and 2 inches of rain.

As stormy and cold weather lingers in the West, one or more large outbreaks of severe weather may unfold over the Central states, where warm and humid air is likely to surge northward later next week.

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