An atmospheric river brought heavy rain, flooding and unseasonably warm temperatures to the Pacific Northwest, closing rail links, schools and roads as it shattered daily rainfall and temperature records in Washington state.
David Parkinson, senior weather and climate producer for CBS News, reported early Wednesday that the atmospheric river was coming to an end and that all of the rivers involved were rising or had reached their crest.
Amtrak said Tuesday that passenger trains will not run between Seattle and Portland, Oregon, until Thursday because of a landslide. The National Weather Service has issued flood warnings for parts of western Washington state, adding areas north and east of Seattle and much of the Olympic zone. Peninsula.
In the Portland suburb of Beaverton, a man’s body was found in a river Tuesday morning, according to the Washington County Sheriff’s Office. The victim’s cause of death is under investigation, with the government saying there were no signs of injury.
In Rosburg, Washington, near the Oregon border, the Coast Guard said it rescued five more people trapped in the floodwaters. Four of them were hoisted by a helicopter when they were stranded in an area surrounded by 4 feet of water, the coast the guard said. A fifth got out of a truck stuck on a flooded road. Coast Guard video showed the victim sitting on the roof of the truck as a guard was carried to safety.
In Monroe, Washington, just northeast of Seattle, fire and rescue crews reported rescuing four more people and a dog who were trapped in a park due to rising water.
Wet situations also brought warm temperatures to the region. According to the NWS, at 64 degrees Fahrenheit in Walla Walla, southwest Washington, it’s as hot as parts of Florida and Mexico. Seattle reported a temperature of 59 degrees F as of 1 a. m. Tuesday morning, breaking its previous daily record, the weather service said.
Atmospheric rivers, known as the “Pineapple Express” because the long, narrow bands of water vapor carry warm subtropical moisture across the Pacific from near Hawaii, brought huge amounts of rain and snow to California last winter.
On the Olympic Peninsula, the small town of Forks, famous for being the wettest city in the contiguous United States, saw its record Dec. 4 rainfall more than double after receiving about 3. 8 inches of rain, the NWS said. By early Tuesday morning, it had recorded four inches of rain in 2four hours, more precipitation than Las Vegas has gained in all of 2023, according to the agency.
About 100 miles farther south, the daily rainfall record for Dec. 4 was broken in Hoquiam, which received about 2.6 inches of rain on Monday, the NWS said. Seattle also set a new rainfall record for that date with 1.5 inches, said Kirby Cook, science and operations officer at the NWS office in Seattle.
“We will continue to see significant impacts, with river flooding and flooding in the region” through Wednesday morning, he said.
A segment of Washington state Highway 106 was closed as emerging waters from the Skokomish River overflowed onto the highway, state transportation officials said.
The NWS said it expected to see precipitation and temperatures climb to record-breaking heights in western Washington on Tuesday.
In Granite Falls, Washington, about forty-five miles north of Seattle, a video posted on social media through Kira Mascorella showed water surrounding homes and flooding roads and yards. Mascorella, who lives in nearby Arlington, said it was pouring rain when he woke up Tuesday and it was still raining heavily into the late afternoon. She said she had called to avoid work because of water on the roads and was unsure if they would be satisfactory on Wednesday.
A landslide shut down parts of Seattle, popular with walkers, joggers and cyclists, the city’s parks section said. Crews were assessing damage to the Burke-Gilman trail and racing to widen detour routes.
Parts of U. S. Coastal Highway 101 were closed due to flooding, adding gaps around Seaside and at intersections with U. S. Route 26 and Oregon Route 6, the state Department of Transportation said.
At least three districts along the Oregon coast were closed for the day due to flooding and road closures.
Authorities suggested drivers exercise caution as there is deep water on the roads and delays are expected.