Western WA hit with ‘unusual, late-season atmospheric river,’ bringing up to an inch of rain
Jun 8, 2022, 3:45 PM | Updated: Jun 9, 2022, 1:12 pm
Clouds cover the sky as a seaplane approaches Lake Union in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Robert Sumner/Getty Images)
(Photo by Robert Sumner/Getty Images)
With Western Washington in the midst of a late-season atmospheric river, meteorologists predict that the region could see an inch of rainfall by Friday morning.
By Thursday early afternoon, parts of the Olympic Peninsula had seen a third of an inch of rain, with a storm front on its way further inland.
Back again, here's the rainfall totals from the past 6 hours through noon today. Most of the action has been over the Olympics, but higher totals will shift eastward as the day progresses. Stay tuned, there's more to come. #wawx pic.twitter.com/yP8iYH4AoS
— NWS Seattle (@NWSSeattle) June 9, 2022
“We’ve got a rather unusual late, very little very late season, atmospheric river pointed our direction. And that’s going to bring us some pretty significant rainfall, especially by this afternoon into this evening. And then it’ll gradually taper off by the early hours of Friday morning,” Dustin Guy, meteorologist with the National Weather Service, told KIRO Newsradio.
“But for the next 18 hours or so we’re looking at a pretty wet period for Western Washington that’ll lead to … at least some rising river levels, as well as some rain picks up we’ll look at some potential for some urban and small stream flooding.”
For the entire month of June, Seattle usually averages 1.45 inches of rain. Seattle could receive close to 1 inch of rain this Thursday alone, which would make this June one of the wettest on record, along with possibly breaking a daily rainfall record for June 9. Additional cities can expect to potentially break daily rainfall records with this event.
Record-shattering rain drenches Western Washington to close out week
This weather is typically seen in the fall for Washington, not in the late spring.
Curious about the daily rain records we’re up against Thursday? Some stiff competition:
-Seattle: 0.72″ (1993)
-Olympia: 0.80″ (2020)
-Bellingham: 0.89″ (1956)
-Hoquiam: 1.44″ (1993)
-Quillayute: 1.44″ (1993)(I did a double take on the Hoquiam/Quillayute records too)#wawx
— NWS Seattle (@NWSSeattle) June 8, 2022
A surge of moisture and associated rain moved into western Washington Thursday, predicted to last into early Friday. This initial surge of rain will be the heaviest of the two.
A second surge of moisture and associated rain is expected Saturday. This second push of moisture has continued to trend down with the greatest impacts expected to be in Oregon.
Rain starts early Thursday morning for the coastal beaches and Olympic Peninsula. Rain is expected to be light initially before increasing in intensity throughout the morning hours. The heaviest rain will fall Thursday afternoon through early Friday morning.
Thursday will be a very wet day across western WA. Localized urban flooding, rapid rises on creeks and streams, or even an isolated landslide or rockfall will be possible Thursday into Friday morning. Use caution when out and about tomorrow and remember #TurnAroundDontDrown #wawx pic.twitter.com/43jBiOChox
— NWS Seattle (@NWSSeattle) June 8, 2022
Significant flooding concerns are not currently anticipated, but minor nuisance flooding is possible for areas that see heavier rain, especially for poor drainage areas and urban layouts.
