Riding the atmospheric river: Heavy rain, wind return for repeat visit

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

EVERETT — If you exhaled a deep sigh of relief when the smoke cleared out of Snohomish County two weeks ago, it might be time to start holding your breath again.

Western Washington’s rainy season is well underway, having broken a months-long dry spell that contributed to historic wildfires and hazardous air quality this summer. But the welcome rainfall now poses risks in the burn scar left by the nearly 15,000-acre Bolt Creek fire, and experts say that will be especially true in the next few days.

On Wednesday, the National Weather Service’s Seattle office predicted heavy rain and powerful wind gusts across the region on Friday and Saturday. An atmospheric river is expected to bring a burst of warm air, followed by “sharply colder” temperatures as rain tapers off into the weekend, said Dustin Guy, a meteorologist at NWS Seattle. Atmospheric rivers are a weather term to describe relatively long, narrow regions in the atmosphere that transport most of the water vapor outside of the tropics.

Also on Wednesday, the National Weather Service placed Snohomish, King and Mason counties on flood watch. Guy said that while experts can’t yet predict if or how much flooding will happen, locals should keep a close eye on river forecasts going into the weekend.

https://www.heraldnet.com/news/riding-the-atmospheric-river-heavy-rain-wind-return-for-repeat-visit/

[Flash953]

1. We'd like some down in California please...

[love_katz]

2. I am super happy about the return of the rain.

We need it so very badly. With that said, I don't live close to a burn scar. Thanks to climate change, our weather tends to go to extremes. Too dry, which enables more wildfires, then when the rain returns, mudslides. The Pacific Northwest has always had high rainfall and visits from atmospheric rivers. We need to learn from the Native Tribes how to safely do controlled burns in order to reduce the danger from wildfires and the mudslides that can follow them. I really wish that humankind would get a clue about how to live in harmony with our planet.