00:00Did you know some towns in Florida have seen more snow this winter than Salt Lake City, Utah?
00:06But don't worry, the west is about to get its winter back.
00:10For weeks, much of the western U.S. have been stuck in an unseasonably warm and mostly dry pattern,
00:15keeping storms away from California and leaving many interior western areas in a serious snow drought.
00:21But starting later this weekend, you'll notice changes.
00:23The jet stream becomes less tangled and that subtle shift opens the door for a storm out of the northern Pacific.
00:28That means rain returning to Washington and Oregon, plus mountain snow from the Cascades into northern California, Idaho, and Montana.
00:37Snow levels will even dip to the passes in Washington, so if you're traveling early next week, expect some slick spots.
00:42As the system moves inland, colder air follows, helping deliver much-needed snow to parts of the interior northwest or northern Rockies,
00:49crucial not just for skiing, but for spring runoff and water supply later in the year.
00:54And this isn't a one-and-done pattern change.
00:56Much colder air and moisture from the Pacific keep pushing through in weeks two and three of February.
01:02That means more rain, more snow, and a break from the stagnant, warm pattern you've been stuck in.
01:07So, bottom line, if you've been waiting for winter to show up along the west coast, your wait is almost over.
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