The first of a series of powerful storms hit the Pacific Northwest on Tuesday, dumping heavy rain, swelling rivers and prompting high water rescues, authorities said.
The National Weather Service’s Weather Prediction Center forecast several days of heavy rainfall in western Washington and northwestern Oregon with the trans-Pacific jet stream bringing heavy rain along the coast and more than a foot of new snow in the northern Rockies in northwestern Wyoming. Flood watches are in effect with scattered flash flooding possible along the coast and into the Cascades through midweek.
Fire crews rescued two people who were trapped by floodwaters at a campsite in the Gold Bar area of Snohomish County north of Seattle on Monday night, KOMO-TV reported. Crews used drones and water rescue crafts to reach them and get them to safety, officials said.
The Snohomish County Department of Emergency Management warned Tuesday morning that rivers in the county remained under flood warning with the Skykomish River hitting major flood status at Gold Bar overnight.
Gold Bar police said in a social media post Monday evening that deputies were going door-to-door in the Moonlight Drive neighborhood to warn residents of imminent flooding.
The Washington State Department of Transportation closed eastbound Interstate 90 at North Bend, about 30 miles (50 kilometers) east of Seattle, due to debris covering the road after heavy rain and wind, Summer Derrey, an assistant communications manager, said Tuesday. The roadway reopened Tuesday morning.
The weather service’s Seattle office said in a social media post on Tuesday morning that the atmospheric river — an unusually strong storm system — has shifted southward, but precipitation was expected to shift back toward the north later in the day, bringing another round of heavy rainfall and causing significant river flooding.
Portland transportation officials warned residents that the heaviest rain was expected to hit during the Tuesday morning commute, with an increased risk of car crashes due to hydroplaning or driving through flooded roads.
Meanwhile, a fast-moving storm moving eastward across the Upper Midwest on Tuesday was forecast to bring a range of wintry weather, including freezing rain, high winds and heavy snow.
“This is definitely one of those messy winter weather events that we’re going to be having come through, depending on where you are in the northern plains here,” said Ryan Dunleavy, meteorologist for the National Weather Service in the Twin Cities.
North Dakota was experiencing rain and freezing rain, said Connor Smith, meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Bismarck. Much of the state was under a no-travel advisory due to freezing rain and slippery roads. Some schools closed or moved to virtual lessons due to the weather conditions.
Most of Montana and the Dakotas were under a high wind warning. Winds could blow up to 65 mph (105 kph) Tuesday afternoon, Smith said. High winds could make travel difficult and blow around unsecured objects, Christmas decorations and already fallen snow, he said.
Wintry weather is expected to impact the evening commute in Minnesota and northwest Wisconsin, starting Tuesday afternoon and lasting into the night, Dunleavy said. Parts of central and northern Minnesota and northwest Wisconsin have potential for heavy snow, with a wintry mix forecast across the Twin Cities metro and southwest Minnesota, with potentially strong winds to follow, Dunleavy said.
Commuters should allow for extra time traveling, he said. The storm is expected to head into the Great Lakes region by Wednesday.
