How Hurricane Helene is impacting the Pacific Northwest's weather

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) -- Florida's Hurricane Helene will cause storm surge, flooding rains, and damaging winds in the southeast with other impacts felt across the country this week.

The southeast United States will feel the brunt of major Hurricane Helene's wrath later this week. The Pacific Northwest is nearly 3,000 miles away from the storm, but this hurricane is expected to stall the country's weather pattern.

The jet stream is expected to pause in place across the country. That's the driving force for weather changes around the globe. The particular pattern that is taking shape is known as an omega blocking pattern. An omega blocking pattern is notoriously known as a stagnant weather pattern and is defined by the jet stream's omega-shape over the country.

This stagnant weather pattern puts much of the Pacific Northwest under a pleasant and seasonal weather pattern through the end of the week. Temperatures around Portland will stabilize in the mid 70s after Wednesday's wet weather clears. A chance for a stray rain showers or two is possible Friday, but mild conditions are the dominate weather pattern expected around western Oregon and southwest Washington.

The high heat that was felt over the Pacific Northwest earlier this week will sit over the Rocky Mountain states. That will bring July-like heat back to the center of the country to end September.

Mostly of the country will see pleasant weather through the end of the end of the week. It pales in comparison to the severe weather that's expected in the southeast due to Hurricane Helene. This will be the first major hurricane felt in Florida since Hurricane Idalia in 2023 when it made landfall as a category 3 storm.

Hurricane Helene is expected to make landfall Thursday afternoon and evening along the Gulf Coastal area of Florida. Storm surge of nearly a foot is possible as the threat of flooding rains, damaging winds, and tornadoes increases across the southeast through the end of the week.