SEATTLE — Satellite imagery captured a striking, tightly wound storm spinning about 450 miles west of Washington on Sunday evening, October 18. The storm’s spiral cloud pattern stood out clearly over the open Pacific Ocean. Despite its location off the Northwest coast, the system is expected to dive south and completely miss the Pacific Northwest. It will eventually bring rain to central and Southern California.
Spiral Storm Spotted Off the Coast
The satellite image, taken around 5:40 p.m. Sunday, shows a well-defined comma-shaped swirl of clouds far off the coast. Bands of cloud wrap tightly around the storm’s center.
To the west and north of the storm, a field of popcorn-like clouds covers the ocean. These cloud cells form when cold air moves over warmer ocean water.
Storm Will Avoid the Pacific Northwest
Even though the storm sits west of Washington, it is not expected to come ashore there. Instead, it will track south along the coast over the next few days.
That means Washington and Oregon should stay mostly dry from this system. Skies over the interior Northwest were largely clear in the satellite view.
Rain Headed for California
As the storm moves south, it is expected to bring rain to central and Southern California. The timing will depend on how quickly the low moves down the coast…