National Weather Service
By Joe Edwards
Reporter
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Parts of Washington are expected to see precipitation continue early this week, after an atmospheric river was forecast to bring heavy rain and potential avalanches to Washington and nearby regions over the weekend.
A forecast map from the NWS showed that western Washington is expected to see rain or thunderstorms, with mixed precipitation predicted for central and northeast portions of the state.
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As of early Monday morning, a flood warning is in effect for the Skokomish River at Potlatch, affecting Mason County.
The alert, in place until late Tuesday morning as of reporting, warned that minor flooding was occurring, with moderate flooding forecast.
"At 17.5 feet, the Skokomish River will cause moderate flooding, with deep and quick flood waters inundating some residential areas, many roads, and much of the farm land in the Skokomish Valley," the flood warning said. "Inundated roads include the Skokomish Valley Road, Bourgault Road West, Purdy Cutoff Road and Highway 106."
The agency said on Sunday the river was expected to rise to 17.6 feet late Sunday night into Monday morning. "It will then fall below flood stage early Tuesday morning and recede through late week," the NWS said.
The NWS advised being especially careful at night when flooding is harder to detect, urging motorists to turn around instead of driving into flooded roads—a situation that causes most flood-related deaths—and to not bypass barricades or attempt to drive through flooded areas.
It also said "moderate to heavy" precipitation would persist over the Olympics and northern Washington Cascades through Monday evening. "Rainfall amounts over the last 24 hours have been as high as 2 to 4 inches, and an additional 1 to 3 inches are expected in these locations, with the highest amounts in the Cascades of Whatcom and Skagit Counties," it said.
In a Saturday post on the social media platform X, the NWS forecast office in Seattle said a rise in snow levels and additional rain was expected early this week, with flooding expected on the Skokomish. Warmer and drier conditions were forecast toward midweek onward.
On Friday, police said two men were killed and another two individuals were rescued following an avalanche near Longs Pass in the mountains of northern Kittitas County.
The NWS describes atmospheric rivers as "relatively long, narrow regions in the atmosphere—like rivers in the sky—that transport most of the water vapor outside of the tropics."
While they can vary in size and intensity, a typical one "carries an amount of water vapor roughly equivalent to the average flow of water at the mouth of the Mississippi River," according to the agency. When they make landfall, they can release water vapor as snow or rain.
"Expansive high pressure will drive calm weather across much of the Nation to open the work week, with most notable precipitation relegated to the western face of the Olympic Range from a weakening atmospheric river," the Weather Prediction Center said in a forecast discussion early on Monday.
Elsewhere, the agency said "unseasonably mild weather" could be expected for most of the Lower 48 on Monday and Tuesday: "While much of the Nation will feel above average highs today and tomorrow, warm weather fans across the Heartland will emerge as the big winners with this warm-up and enjoy highs in the 50's and 60's—nearly 25-30 degrees above average."
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