Western Washington could be in for several torrential downpours starting Friday night and lasting into next week.
An atmospheric river, also known as a Pineapple Express , from the Pacific Ocean is aiming right at the United States’ west coast, bringing heavy rainfall to Washington, Oregon, and California.
A similar weather phenomenon occurred in Washington in early December 2023 when Puget Sound had approximately 6.5 inches of rainfall from Dec. 1 to Dec. 10.
“It’s probably going to be more like a series of three (rain events), heading into early next week,” Maddie Kristell, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Seattle, told McClatchy News. “We’re expecting round one to arrive later (Friday) afternoon into this evening, along the Olympic Coast first and spreading inland overnight, so it will probably be a wet overnight period.”
Kristell said the rain will continue through Saturday before breaking on Sunday. The second round will occur on Monday, and the final round of rain will be Tuesday into Wednesday.