Series of storms could bring life-threatening ocean waves to the Pacific Northwest leading up to Christmas
The West should expect dangerous storm conditions in the days leading up to Christmas.
A series of storms will continue to pound the West Coast with heavy rain, gusty winds, giant ocean waves and accumulation of snow in the mountains, forecasts show.
A new storm will move into the Pacific Northwest on Monday afternoon before shifting into California on Christmas Eve, bringing heavy rain and mountain snow.
Heavy rain is forecast in the Bay Area, on Tuesday morning. Some of that rain will move into Los Angeles late Tuesday afternoon and evening.
The National Weather Service issued a winter weather warning for the Sierra Nevada mountains, where locally, more than 1 foot of snow is possible.
A high surf warning was also issued up and down the West Coast from Washington to Southern California.
The highest waves will be from Northern California to Oregon, where they could reach up to 40 feet. Conditions will be "life-threatening" at some points, with long periods of westerly swell and large breaking waves making areas around the bays, ocean and beaches dangerous in the coming week, according to the National Weather Service.
Unsettled weather will continue from Northern California to Washington as a new storm moves in on Wednesday afternoon.
In the East, Ice and snow will also cause some slick roads in the days before Christmas.
On Monday morning, ice and snow fell in the upper Midwest and Great Lakes region.
Snow and ice conditions are expected to continue throughout Monday along the I-90 and I-94 corridors, impacting travelers from Michigan, Indiana, and Wisconsin.
The highest snowfall will be in lower Michigan, where some areas could see between 3 and 5 inches of accumulation.
The ice and snow will move into the Northeast Monday night into Tuesday morning.
Winter weather advisories have been issued for Washington, D.C. and Philadelphia, where a glaze of ice and a dusting of snow is forecast for Tuesday morning.
A band of snow will move into New York City by 7:30 a.m. and into Boston by 9 a.m., creating slick roads.
Elsewhere in the country, temperatures will remain relatively mild for the holiday. Christmas is expected to be chilly in the Northeast, but the Arctic conditions the region experienced in the last several days will subside. High temperatures are expected to be in the 30s, closer to normal for this time of year.
The Midwest will experience mild temperatures -- near 50 degrees in Kansas City and in the 40s in the Chicago region. In Florida and the Gulf Coast, temperatures in the 70s are expected.
