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Bill McAuliffe

December snow? I'm saying 7.3 inches

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Twin Cities Metro Area

Melissa Watson: Weekend Forecast=Perfect for Outdoor Holiday Decor

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Jan Schmid: Warm Whitetail season

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John Simmons: Cloudy and Damp

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Home | Weather

Punishing Storm to Hit Western North America

By AccuWeather, $content.credit

Last update: November 3, 2009 - 2:25 PM

The North Pacific could very well be the stormiest place on the planet. Here, low pressure systems become very intense due to the large temperature gradient that exists between newly formed arctic air to the north and the relatively mild air that covers the ocean.

The next Pacific monster will begin to impact western North America Wednesday night, and the worst of it will be experienced Thursday. Along the British Columbia coast, there will be a wind-driven rain with wind speeds up to 70 mph.

The high mountains of western British Columbia will get 1-3 feet of snow by Friday.

To give you some idea as to how intense this storm will be, consider that a strong nor'easter might have a central pressure of 28.80 inches. Thursday morning, the central pressure of the Pacific storm will be down to 27.90 inches.

The Pacific Northwest can expect rain from late Thursday into Friday, though the worst of the storm will pass by to the north.

Story by AccuWeather.com Senior Meteorologist John Kocet.

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