Barometric Pressure Forecast for Centralia, Washington
Barometric pressure forecast for Centralia, Washington — where the Skookumchuck meets the Chehalis River along I-5, midway between Seattle and Portland. See current barometric pressure through Pacific storms, atmospheric rivers and river flooding.
Download Pressure Pal to track barometric pressure and get migraine alerts for Centralia and your area.
Pressure and weather in Centralia
Centralia sits in Lewis County in southwestern Washington, where the Skookumchuck River joins the Chehalis River, roughly halfway between Seattle and Portland along Interstate 5. The Willapa Hills rise to the west and the Cascade foothills to the east, but the Chehalis valley is an open corridor that lets Pacific storms flow straight in from the coast. That makes Centralia one of the places in the state most exposed to winter storm systems. From October to March, Pacific lows roll in one after another, and the barometer here records every one: a fall as the front approaches, gusty southerly winds, heavy rain and then a rise. When a deep low passes close by, the wind can be damaging across the valley. The greatest hazard, though, is flooding. Atmospheric rivers can stall over the Willapa Hills and the Cascades, sending huge volumes of water into the Chehalis basin. The floods of February 1996 and December 2007 closed Interstate 5 for days and left parts of Centralia and neighboring Chehalis under water. Summers, by contrast, are mild and dry, with little movement on the chart.
What this means for you
Centralia's busy season on the barometer is the wet half of the year, when Pacific lows and atmospheric rivers bring the biggest pressure falls and the risk of flooding. A barometric pressure forecast gives you warning of a strong system, and a migraine tracker app can help you see whether those storms line up with your symptoms.