The Pacific Northwest will have much of the weekend to dry out after days of flooding rainfall, but there is another atmospheric river set to wash ashore by early in the week ahead.
Flooding will continue as runoff from previous events continues to move through the Cascades and down toward Puget Sound.
(MORE:Latest News From Washington State)
Drier weather will persist across the region through at least the first half of Sunday.
Here's a current look at the atmospheric river off the Pacific Coast:
Timing Through Early Week
Arrival:Late Sunday in Washington State; Tuesday in Northern California
Peak Flood Potential:Late Sunday to Monday in Washington, Oregon; Tuesday in Northern California
Departure:Early Tuesday in Washington, but with potential for a reinforcing shot late in the day
How This Event Compares
This singular event will have a shorter duration compared to the back-to-back events that occurred on Monday and Wednesday of this past week
Rainfall totals appear to be lighter than the event that occurred Wednesday.
Rainfall rates may be slightly lower due to the change in orientation of this upcoming atmospheric river, which will come in less perpendicular to the mountain ranges.
The upcoming event is likely to be classified as a Category 4 event, which is the same rating given to the previous atmospheric river that came ashore Wednesday.
Snow levels appear to be similarly high compared to previous events, although they could come down quicker on the backside of this event.
(MORE:Where It Isn't Raining, It Is Record Warmth Forecast In The West)
Rainfall Totals
Rainfall will generally be lighter than what was seen in the Pacific Northwest over the last week, but it also won't take as much rainfall to create significant issues, especially in Washington.
Parts of the Cascades and Olympics will see 3-6 inches of rainfall while the Interstate-5 corridor should see 1-2 inches of rain as far south as central Oregon.
This atmospheric river will drop further south into Northern California than those of the previous week, so some new areas will pick up rainfall there, but totals will be light.
Snowfall will be confined to the highest elevations of the Cascades and Northern Rockies, but over a foot is possible, especially in the Washington Cascades.
Jonathan Belleshas been a digital meteorologist forweather.comfor 9 years. His favorite weather is tropical weather, but also enjoys covering high-impact weather and news stories and winter storms. He's a two-time graduate of Florida State University and a proud graduate of St. Petersburg College.
