Weather Eye: Heavy rain in forecast up north, but we’re going to miss it here

Mild and not so wet is the weather on tap this week.

Heavy rains are still forecast beginning today for parts of Western Washington, so much so that professor Cliff Mass from the University of Washington has named this big rainstorm Poseidon.

This is in response to The Weather Channel now naming major storms on the East Coast. Remember Nemo, Saturn and Rocky? Evidently, they have no interest here with us on the West Coast.

Another terminology change has this tropical moisture being referred to as the “Atmospheric River.” What ever happened to the Pineapple Express? You could see the plume of moisture on the latest satellite photos from Hawaii up to the northwest tip of Washington. Forecast models indicate 5 to 10 inches of rain over the Olympics, north Cascades and mountains of southern British Columbia.

Although, looking at things Monday afternoon, I wasn’t overly impressed just yet, so we will see what develops today and Wednesday. Snow levels will be high until late in the week after the warm and wet air mass moves inland.

Nice rain event for the month of March; too bad we are going to miss it. Just kidding there; I can deal with mild and dry for a while. We should see highs near 60 degrees before things cool off over the weekend.

Personally, I couldn’t care less if we were to name every storm that rolled through. I guess we leave that up to the weather media. Naming typhoons and hurricanes is OK, since we have been doing it since forever, but really, other major rain or snow events? OK, I’m off my soapbox.

I noticed at the 5 p.m. observations Monday that our local area was in the low 50s, while south of us in the Willamette Valley, Salem and Eugene were in the mid-60s. Warmer air a coming! Enjoy your week.

Patrick Timm is a local weather specialist. His column appears Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays. Reach him at Weather Systems.