Rain, wind, snow, high surf and flooding concerns as active weather pattern continues



SEATTLE -- Our very active weather pattern continues today, with rain, wind, snow, high surf and flooding just to mention a few.  There truly is something for everyone in the forecast today!

The unsettled air will continue to hang with us through the holidays.  After all, we do welcome in winter on Friday afternoon, so it seems fitting to have some stormy forecasts with us.

Tuesday's weather maker, which carried a decent amount of rain and snow in the mountains, eventually dies out, but we'll see some of the lingering showers into Wednesday.  Then, more rain and wind will pop back into the mix for Thursday.

At this point Friday looks to be the best bet to see more sunshine rather than the heavy rain, although we won't rule out showers completely, just less of a chance.

The first day of winter may sneak in quietly on Friday, but don't expect that to last long. The weekend will provide a variety of elements for our region.

Saturday, expect mostly cloudy skies with a  chance of showers.  Sunday, clouds increase with a better shot at seeing steady rain and wind.  Monday, Christmas Eve, more of the same - cloudy, wet and breezy to windy at times.

ALERTS



Not surprisin,g the Skokomish River near Potlatch in Mason County will continue to be under a FLOOD WARNING through much of the week because of all the heavy rainfall that will keep the river above flood stage.

Also, a FLOOD WATCH will remain in effect through this afternoon for a portion of Lewis County. One river in this area we'll keep an eye on is the Chehalis river near Doty. Minor flooding is possible during periods of heavy rain.

Winter-Wx-Advisory



In the Cascade mountains, snow has piled up over the last 24 hours, closing down the I-90 on either side of the summit for a good part of the morning.  The pass has since reopened, but we'll monitor it closely with more snow on the way. So, a WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY will remain in effect through 10 p.m. Tuesday for above 3,000ft.  Look for an additional snow to fall with up to 15 inches more during throughout today and tonight.



This system will affect Crystal Mountain Ski Area, Paradise on Mount Rainier, Stevens and Snoqualmie Pass.

Further north in the Cascades, a WINTER STORM WARNINGis in placefor the valleys of Whatcom and Skagit Counties into the Mount Baker Ski Resort.



With all the heavy mountain snow that fell and is expected to fall, the Northwest Avalanche Center has issued an AVALANCHE WARNING through 6 p.m. Tuesday. Areas affected: West slopes of the WA Cascades from the Canadian border to the Skagit River, including Mt. Baker to the East slopes of the WA Cascades north I-90.



There's a HIGH SURF ADVISORY for the SW Washington Coast and NW Oregon Coast through 3 p.m. Tuesday. By midday seas will fall from 20-25ft waves down to 16 to 20 ft by this afternoon.  A good reminder to stay out of the surf zone.