Two soggy storms expected to converge on Vancouver over weekend

A storm the National Weather Service describes as “highly unusual for September” arrives this afternoon and could bring record rainfall by the time it leaves on Sunday.

Winds are also part of the one-two punch, which begins with a storm likely to position itself off the coast of British Columbia and funnel rain into the Portland metro area tonight and Saturday.

Later Saturday, the jet stream is forecast to sag south into the area, bringing a reinforcing punch of tropical moisture, including the leftovers of Typhoon Pabuk, which drenched the east coast of Japan.

By the time that storm leaves Monday, 3.5 inches of rain could have fallen in Vancouver, with much more in the mountains. In fact, the Cascades could get up to 10 inches of rain, according to the weather service.

Wind is in the picture, too, with gusts to 40 mph in the Vancouver area. The soggy conditions are expected to cause some trees and limbs to fall, possibly creating spotty power outages in the region.

Localized flooding is possible as ditches, culverts and small streams become overwhelmed with rainwater and runoff.