1st round arrives tonight: Trains of Western storms

It is going to be soggy Christmas Eve across the Northwest and northern California. This will be the first of several rounds of soggy weather for the Christmas holiday. Flood threats will grow with each subsequent one.

The first of several major Pacific storms will arrive tonight and early Tuesday. The WeatherRadar shows the system arriving along California's northwestern coast before spreading northward into Oregon and western Washington. Eureka, Calif., Portland, Ore., and Seattle will hear the heavy rain overnight and into Christmas Eve morning.

By Tuesday morning, snow will be falling over the highest Cascades passes, making roads slick and dangerous for holiday travelers heading east out of the I-5 corridor. Be sure to carry the winter safety kit with you.

There will be a small lull on Tuesday afternoon before the next, even stronger system, arrives on Christmas. This one has the potential to produce 3 or 4 inches of rainfall along the Coast and in Portland and Seattle, increasing the chance for localized urban flooding.

Even San Francisco, Sacramento and the Central Valley will be soaked by this system.

Dreaming of a White Christmas. There will be plenty of snow to go around in the Cascades and the Sierras as more than a foot of fresh snow will fall there. Holiday skiers will rejoice from the fresh powder.

The Christmas storm will be accompanied by high winds. Wind gusts in excess of 35 mph could cause localized power outages, especially along the coast. The WindRadar can be used to track the weather here.

Several more storms will follow these first two rounds of storms. Heavy rain and mountain snow are likely throughout the Northwest and northern California on Thursday and Friday. Weather & Radar meteorologists will be providing frequent updates through the holiday week. Check out the Weather News section for the latest information.