WEST COAST, U.S. - As storms begin to buffet the Pacific Northwest, with stronger cells forecasted next week, closures and dangerous road conditions may challenge trucks looking to shuttle ingredients for consumers' holiday meals.
"It looks as though the storm track will shift southward during next week," said AccuWeather Long-Range Meteorologist Max Vido in a recent report. "A storm on Sunday may focus on Oregon, while another storm that follows Monday night to Christmas Day may have more impact on California."
The current storm cell, which has headed through the heart of Washington towards Idaho, has already caused tremendous damage to roadways. A mudslide brought on by the torrential rains soaking the state on Tuesday closed a section of State Route 109, according to Accuweather.
The forecasters warned that the slide was not an isolated incident, and that more mudslides and flash flooding should be expected throughout the states of Washington, Oregon, and California. There is also a potential for avalanches throughout the Cascade and Olympic mountain ranges over the next week.
“As the storm track shifts southward, freezing levels will tend to fall as the pattern progresses,” according to Accuweather. “This means that while episodes of snow at the passes in the Cascades will be brief in the short term, longer-duration snow may occur at these passes and others farther south in the Sierra Nevada as colder air forces the storm track to shift.”
Along I-5, road conditions will be wet with low visibility increasing the possibility of accidents and delays. As Perry Como croons, “gee, the traffic is terrific,” or at least it will be once we all head home for the holidays. Delays in shipping produce and presents alike should be expected due to the slick roads that will be lined with cars until the Christmas bells are ringing.
AndNowUKnow will continue to report on how the industry weathers these conditions, and reminds everyone to drive safely in this stormy weather.
