Rivers in the sky are raining down on the Pacific Northwest. What are they?
21 hours ago
Atmospheric rivers bear down on the West Coast Atmospheric rivers are large bands of water vapor in the sky. They are dumping trillions of gallons of water on Washington and Oregon, just as high tides and winds batter shorelines.
STANWOOD, WASHINGTON - DECEMBER 6: In an aerial view, floodwaters surround a home on December 6, 2023 in Stanwood, Washington. Atmospheric river conditions in the region brought heavy rains and flooding.
It's the wettest time of the year for one of the wettest parts of the country: the Pacific Northwest.
This week is no exception as heavy rain, high tides and a rising sea level hit the West Coast.
Two atmospheric rivers, bringing heavy rain, will pound parts of Oregon and Washington state back-to-back on Friday and Saturday. Two other atmospheric rivers already dropped multiple inches of rain on both states earlier this week.
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"What's really problematic is when you get compounding impacts from multiple atmospheric rivers," said Josh Weiss, a meteorologist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Weather Prediction Center. Those impacts include flash flooding, urban flooding and even landslides, he said.
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