The ‘atmospheric river’ is back, bringing rain and flood threat to Puget Sound next week
For those who thought the Puget Sound’s rainy winter was behind them, next week’s predicted rain might be a reason to think again.
The National Weather Service is predicting that the area will see daily rain until Thursday. The precipitation forecast has the agency concerned about an increased risk of landslides on Monday and Tuesday.
The region’s rainfall is expected to start Saturday evening and Sunday morning. A second dose is due to arrive Sunday night and linger over the Puget Sound Monday and Tuesday, a NWS tweet on Saturday morning said.
Rivers could flood next week as a result of the heavy rains. Tacoma is predicted to receive up to 1.5 inches of rain between Sunday night and Tuesday night.
The national agency described the reason for the region’s wet week as an “atmospheric river,” in a Saturday morning briefing. An atmospheric river is a relatively long, narrow movement of concentrated moisture that transports most of the water vapor outside of the tropics, like the Pineapple Express that carries moisture from outside of Hawaii to the West Coast.
Gusty winds are expected to accompany the precipitation on Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning, the NWS briefing said.
The precipitation is expected to bring the mountains snow for elevations higher than 3,000 feet above sea level until Thursday. The heaviest snow is expected in the southern Washington Cascades.
This story was originally published March 12, 2022 at 10:03 AM.
